


Kingdom of Roses

by unholyregalia



Category: American Horror Story, American Horror Story: Apocalypse, American Horror Story: Coven
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, BDSM, Caning, Developing Relationship, Dom/sub, Domestic Fluff, Dominance, Domme/Domme/sub, Drinking, Drugs, F/F, F/F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Multi, NSFW, Name-Calling, Oral Sex, Orgasm Denial, Pet Names, Pussy Spanking, Smoking, Smut, Spanking, Submission, and they leave with a new submissive, eventual angst, it's both, porn with and not surprisingly without plot, restaurant AU, the drugs are weed, two dominant sarah characters walk into a bar
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-27
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:47:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 32,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23341966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unholyregalia/pseuds/unholyregalia
Summary: You had always dreamed of the day when Cordelia Goode would walk back into your life and sweep you off your feet; but what you hadn't be prepared for was the stoic redhead that accompanied her as she waltzed into your restaurant out of the blue and turned everything upside down.** Restaurant AU canon divergence! PLS read notes for more dirty details. Thanks friends!
Relationships: Cordelia Foxx | Cordelia Goode/Reader, Cordelia Foxx | Cordelia Goode/Wilhemina Venable, Cordelia Foxx | Cordelia Goode/Wilhemina Venable/Reader, Cordelia Foxx | Cordelia Goode/You, Venable x reader, Wilhemina Venable/You, wilhemina venable/reader
Comments: 53
Kudos: 172





	1. Like a Moth to Flame

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! I'm BACK. With a new style of writing and pairings I've never tried before! Pls be gentle with my fragile, gay ego...- So this is basically a canon divergent AU where you used to be a student at the Academy. When you moved out and moved on with your career as a sommelier, Cordelia would visit your restaurants now and then, and you never really got over your crush on her. When she stops by after not seeing her for awhile, she has a mysterious and lovely new girlfriend, AKA the one and only Miss Venable. JUST SO YOU KNOW- I'm writing this first chapter to set up the relationship. This isn't slow burn. CHAPTER TWO will be dropping you into the middle of their already established polyamorous relationship. I have other plot points I want to accomplish in a somewhat tidy fashion, and could honestly write 4 chapters alone on how they courted you and got you into bed with them. There will prob be a flashback of the first time ya'll did the dirty deed in future chapters. IF you have any questions comments or concerns, please let me know! anyway have fun thanks for reading <3

_You were sprawled across the sun-drenched lawn, eyes closed and skin tingling under the attention of a cloudless sky. Little beads of sweat caught up to one another as they raced down your neck, or slipped behind your knee, and dropped all at once into the grass. Your shirt had been discarded, and your soft cotton shorts rolled down twice to ward off an uneven tan. The sports bra would leave a strange pattern across your back if you stayed out there too long. But you knew better; you knew your freckled skin couldn’t handle too much vitamin D before a burn would set in. You just wanted to enjoy a beautiful sunny day in New Orleans before someone, or something, needed your attention._

_A shadow rose over your head until it covered your entire torso. It took you a moment, as you hadn’t heard her approach, to notice the warmth of the sun had disappeared from your upper half. Your lashes fluttered, blinking your eyes open lazily to reveal what you thought would be a cloud blocking your light. To your satisfaction, it was something-someone- much better than a cloud. Her soft golden hair swayed as she leaned over you, standing just an inch or two from your head and watching you so intently with those chocolate eyes; you could compare the heat of her gaze to the sun and it only sounded slightly romanticized. When she smiled at you, your heart fluttered, and you were grinning back at her before you knew it. “You’re home early,” you said, noticing the throaty way your voice caught, like you hadn’t had water in hours. You pushed up onto your elbows, still smiling at her upside down, your coppery curls bouncing against her shins._

_She hummed, leaning farther down til she was almost nose to nose with you, her hair making a curtain around your heads. “I suppose I am. Maybe I missed you.” Her lips were just a breath from yours, and you couldn’t help yourself, your eyes closed as she leaned down to press them against yours…_

You blinked a few times, trying to hold onto the vision, the world coming back to you all at once. You heard a deflated huff from behind you as you took in the empty restaurant that you were standing in the middle of, obviously having been ripped rudely from your day dream. You turned away from the large front window that greeted Bourbon Street to see who had come to disturb you. “Yes?” You drawled as you turned on one of the servers, Ashley, who had tapped you on the shoulder when you hadn’t answered her the first two times she had asked her question. You weren’t about to entertain any conversation about her catching you daydreaming, and simply pretended you hadn’t heard her with a quick raising of your brow for emphasis.

Ashley looked slightly perplexed at the way you brushed her off, but decided not to say anything. Instead she remembered why she came over to the host stand in the first place. “Hey, so, I polished all the silver, and Justine is on stemware, do you mind if I take my break early?” Her eyes were hopeful, and she knew that you wouldn’t say no, but that you simply wanted the respect of being asked.

Your eyes rolled, then you smiled at her and shook your head. “Cigarette break already, Ash?” You inquired, laughing when she looked at the ceiling in faux guilt. You had no room to judge, there were plenty of nights you had stolen a cigarette from your head server while you and the rest of the dinner staff drank neat pours of bourbon out behind the restaurant. _Just, no sober cigarettes_. You reminded yourself, as if it would redeem you, and as if you cared. “Sure, of course, thank you for asking.” You finally allowed when she looked at you again questioningly; you hadn’t actually said yes yet. She was off with a quick ‘Thanks!’ over her shoulder, leaving you alone again. You leaned against the host stand, letting your eyes fall back to the window and the street outside.

The small restaurant, _Dolmade_ , sat a few blocks from the main action of Bourbon Street and its famous bars, and was the perfect location for a host of exotic regulars and tourists alike. The staff, thanks to you, was competent and friendly, and the sustainably sourced Mediterranean cuisine truly shined with the wine list you had curated. This was your best work yet as a sommelier, and you were incredibly proud of the way the restaurant had progressed since you had taken over as the beverage manager. A few more years of management and you figured you would be ready to open your own place.

_That’s the dream_ , you thought as your mind started to wander again, back to that warm grass and those soft lips you almost kissed. Your day dreams were always about the same woman, with the honeyed hair and a smile that could stop your heart. Cordelia Goode took up a sizable amount of your brain power, the hopeless romantic you were running wild with your imagination in any down time you had. You had attended Miss Robichaux’s Academy while Cordelia was still just an instructor, not yet risen to Supreme or headmistress, and that’s where your affections for the older woman started. She was your herbs and remedies instructor when you were a young witch, partially to thank for your love of food and taking care of the earth. Cordelia had been particularly nice to you, and you flourished with her positive attention. When it came time for you to move out, with the prospect of working as a server at a top restaurant across town, it was very bittersweet to say goodbye to Cordelia and the rest of the girls. Fiona, though barely-present during your time at the academy, had offered you a position as an instructor which you politely turned down. You knew teaching just wasn’t where your heart was, although it hurt to see the disappointment on Cordelia’s face when you told her you wouldn’t be staying. She promised to visit you at your restaurant, and followed through, inevitably showing up at whatever new position you took to say hello even as you bounced between jobs.

It had been almost a year since the last time Cordelia had graced you with her presence. You knew she had a lot going on; rising to Supreme, all the duties that came along with being headmistress, and you tried to ignore the tightening in your chest when you thought about how long it had been since you had seen her smile. The last time she had come into Dolmade she was alone, and luckily for you it was a slow lunch, which meant you could give her every bit of your attention. You paid for her meal, as always, and sent her a special dish you had asked Andre, the executive chef, to prepare just for her. She had loved it, standing at one point to embrace you tightly, her hands running down your sides affectionately. You could have died happy there, and all for a little moussaka. You swore you saw her blush when she noticed she was holding you like that, before she had sat back down and took a long sip of her wine. You had also picked that out for her, which she complimented as well. You had always been better than her at knowing her favorite wine and it brought on an air of confidence about you that she liked to see. When she left, she leaned down and pecked your cheek quickly, before promising to come back soon to say hello. You had wandered around the restaurant in a daze the rest of the evening, smiling to yourself, while the staff giggled to themselves at your love-stricken state.

A slight, sappy smile played on your lips as you continued to gaze out the front window. You were so far gone you didn’t hear Ashley come up behind you again, this time to check reservations for the evening in her section. She asked you something that you didn’t hear, which earned you a poke to the ribs. With a yelp you turned on the girl, brow furrowing as you grumble, “What now, Ash? Don’t you have side work to do?” She looked a little taken aback, you weren’t usually harsh or snappy, and you had a kind disposition that could command respect from the room when needed. Though you were usually the quiet entity that swept across the floor during service, offering help and guidance to guests and servers equally, you had a rebellious side that endeared the servers to you, and impressed the restaurant owners with your charm. The _Food and Wine_ article you had been featured in mentioned that you managed your team with the firm but benevolent hand of a wise queen, and your kingdom was thriving, which quickly prompted your staff to teasingly deem you ‘Your Majesty’ after they read it. You rolled your eyes, but secretly loved that they called you that, simply because they genuinely liked and respected you.

“I.. I was just coming to see what the reservations looked like in my section this evening.” Ashley mumbled, ducking her head as if her shoes were much more interesting to look at than you. “And I was wondering if I could take the first cut tonight? Justine said she wouldn’t mind closing the dinner shift and I really want to try to make this concert at-”

“Okay okay, I don’t need to know your excuse.” You huffed, slightly exasperated that she would ask for a third time this week to be first cut when she was scheduled to close. “If Justine is fine with closing, you may have the first cut. But Ashley,” You drawled, dropping your voice, and definitely enjoying the way she shivered. “If you keep crying wolf, or just plain abusing your senior status, eventually you won’t have any more favors left in Justine. And you know I won’t cover your shifts.” You chuckled before fixing Ashley with a serious gaze. She was looking at you finally, and glanced over your shoulder nervously, before making eye contact when you kept talking. She wanted to interrupt and let you know there was a guest behind you, but you had already started up again. “Also, had you given me your attention during pre-shift, you would know what your reservations look like for the afternoon. But because I know your phone is more interesting than I am at times, you will unfortunately just have to guess as to when you’ll be cut.” And with that you turned away from her, making it clear you were done with the conversation. Ashley was quick to make herself scarce, and you could tell why when you came face to face with none other than Cordelia Goode, leaning gently against the host stand in front of you with a smirk resting on her lips that sent your head spinning.

“I see you still rule with quite the iron fist, darling.” She laughed, tilting her head at you when she realized you were still staring at her dumbfounded. You shook yourself a bit, blushing and ducking your head a bit as you moved out from behind the host stand to embrace Cordelia. Her arms wrapped over your shoulders as you hid in the crook of her neck, trying to compose yourself. But the scent of her shampoo, lilies and bergamot, had your head swimming all over again.

“Hi Delia,” you sighed into her skin, finally pulling back and holding onto her waist at arms length to look at her. She was smiling at you so genuinely, so adoringly, and you could have let the world burn for even a second more of being looked at like that. “It’s been so long. It’s-It’s so good to see you.” You breathed. It almost seemed unreal for her to be here right now, when you had just been daydreaming about her. _Serendipitous might be too strong a word._ You thought, finally dropping your hands back down to your sides.

“I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to come see you, Y/N, but you know how the academy keeps me busy. But it’s a delight to see you too, honey.” Her fingers ran idly through her hair while she looked around the restaurant. Nothing much had changed from the last time she visited, a few new pieces of artwork and a fresh coat of paint had done wonders for the dining room though. Her eyes settled back on you, smirking when she noticed the rosy tint to your cheeks that hadn’t vanished since she walked in. “And I see you still wear that color well,” Cordelia murmured, bringing up her index finger to graze across your cheek. From the outside it was an innocent gesture, but you both knew it carried enough weight to knock you off your feet.

You hadn’t realized you were staring at her whimsically until something brilliantly red caught your eye from behind her. A woman in an exquisite lavender skirt and suit jacket was walking up behind Cordelia with quite a bit of swagger in her step, a slender onyx-colored cane assisting her. Her tightly coiffed red hair was neatly pinned back, and the striking color of her lipstick had you biting your lower lip unconsciously. Was it burgundy, or maybe a plum color? You couldn’t tell. This didn’t go unnoticed by Cordelia, who quickly side-stepped so that the other woman could stand beside her in the tight entryway to the restaurant. “There you are, dear.” She smiled at the frankly intimidating woman, who was simply staring at you with a look in her eyes that blatantly said she would devour you whole, right here and now, for no other reason than her own enjoyment. Amazing that she could convey that message with just a look. “This is Y/N, she used to attend the academy when I was still just an instructor.” Cordelia didn’t miss the way the redhead’s finger twitched on top of her cane when she mentioned you were a previous student. “Y/N, this is my girlfriend, Wilhemina.”

Wilhemina stuck her hand out to you, her perfect manicure matching the onyx coloring of her cane. “Wilhemina Venable, pleasure to make your acquaintance.” Her voice was gravely and lush, and you could almost feel it drifting through you until its low rumble settled in your chest. She smirked at you when you reached a shaking hand out to meet hers.

Almost instantly, your throat ran dry, and it took more willpower than you thought yourself capable of not to dissolve into a coughing fit. _So, not only is Cordelia interested in women, but she has a girlfriend?! How had you missed this, and why hadn’t you made a move sooner? Too late now_. Your thoughts raced for a brief second before pulling yourself, somewhat, together so you wouldn’t appear as dumbstruck as you felt. “Ms. Venable, the pleasure is mine, really.” Your head dipped slightly, out of respect you told yourself, before meeting her eyes again and continuing. “Cordelia hasn’t been by in a hot minute, and the more the merrier on a slow lunch shift.” You chuckled, if only to ease some of your own tension. Cordelia smiled politely, but Wilhemina was still staring you down like you were on the menu for lunch. “Anyway, where would you like to sit? You know I’ll move anything around for you, Delia.”

Cordelia looked around the dining room curiously, scanning for what she thought was the best seat in the house. There were ten two-top tables scattered through the dining room, two four-tops sat near the window, and one lone six-top was set near the kitchen for larger parties. Her eyes settled on the four-top in the window before she looked back at you sheepishly. “Maybe just that two-top against the wall?” She inquired before reaching down to take Wilhemina’s hand.

You hadn’t missed the way she looked longingly at the window seats, and who were you to deny your Supreme anything, especially when there were literally no other guests in the restaurant? “Don’t be silly, I saw you eyeing that four-top.” She tried briefly to argue that it was for a larger party, which you shut down quickly. “I don’t have any reservations for another two hours at that table, and if you end up wanting to stay that long, I’ll move them somewhere else. You know I’d do anything for you.” It was meant as a sweet and innocent sentiment, but you noticed the way Wilhemina raised a curious eyebrow at you. You hoped she hadn’t taken it the wrong way, but before you could worry about it more Cordelia was smiling at you like you had put the stars in the sky and your brain turned to momentary mush.

“It is such a nice spot. Are you okay next to the window, darling?” Cordelia’s attention was back on Wilhemina, already starting to wander towards the table you had motioned to.

“Whatever suits you, my dear. “ Wilhemina hummed, following leisurely behind Cordelia to the table set up in the middle of the large front window. Every time her cane tapped the ground, you swore you could feel it in your chest. It hollowed you out, reverberated against your ribs, and for those few seconds it was all you could hear. Shaking your head to clear your wandering thoughts, you finally followed the pair over to their table and set two food menus and a drink menu down for them.

“So, Ms. Venable, I’m not sure if you’ve joined us before, but our menu is a little different.” You started to explain, wondering why you had adopted this sudden need to address this woman you hardly knew so formally. It just seemed… right. And the sly smile she fixed you with made it clear she didn’t have a problem with it either. She nodded gently to allow you to continue explaining. “This is our lunch menu, and here is our wine list. I curated the list to pair with just about everything on the menu. There is hardly anything on there that won’t go well together. But as I’m sure Cordelia will be abusing her power and ordering off-menu, I would like to extend the option to you as well. Whatever you’d like, it’s yours.” You finished with a proud smile, trying not to laugh at the way Cordelia rolled her eyes when you outed her. She didn’t like to make a fuss, but your menu changed seasonally and when you didn’t have her favorites available you always allowed her to order whatever she wanted to make up for it. Even if the dish wasn’t Mediterranenean in style.

“It’s not my fault you take away my favorite dish twice a year, Y/N,” Cordelia pouted, earning a chuckle from you and a raised eyebrow from Wilhemina. “If you just kept the pumpkin pastitsio year round, poor Andre wouldn’t have to put in the extra work.” You rolled your eyes at how exasperated Cordelia sounded over pumpkin pasta.

“For the hundredth time, Delia, pumpkin isn’t sustainably sourced year round and you know it.” You knew she knew, and that you were just teasing for the sake of it at this point. “Anyway, Andre gets bored and lazy, he needs to be kept on his toes.” Cordelia huffed and turned towards the window like she was ignoring you.

You stuck your tongue out and that promptly ended the teasing, as she was raising her brow at you in return like you were a petulant child. Seeing a mirrored look from Wilhemina had you standing up a bit straighter as the redhead finally spoke. “Well, the menu looks intriguing, and thank you for the explanation Miss Y/N. I am starving, so I think it would be wise that we order soon, darling.” She had turned to give Cordelia her full attention, deciding she was done for now with interacting with you.

With a curt nod you walked off, feeling both sets of eyes on your back as you stalked through the dining room. A blush seemed permanently settled on your cheeks at this point. Ashley was re-polishing silverware to look busy, and your voice came out deeper and a little more stiff than you intended when you snapped at her, “Make sure they have everything they need. Wine, water, and whatever they want to eat. You know the drill. Oh and memo Andre that it’s Cordelia, he knows how she likes her food.” Ashley nodded quickly, peeking over your shoulder as you stood in the middle of the server station. She recognized the blonde woman, she was the one you alway swooned over when she visited. But she didn’t recognize the redhead, so she dropped her silverware back into the bane and fixed her apron as you brushed past her towards the kitchen. Over your shoulder you called to her as she walked away, “Oh, and I’m stealing a cigarette.” You didn’t need to see her face to know she rolled her eyes at you.

Once out back of the restaurant, the massive breath you didn’t realize you’d been holding escaped your lungs like a man depraved. You leaned heavily against the brick wall of the building, eyes squeezed shut tightly while you tried to measure your breathing. _How am I supposed to do my job when both of them are sitting there like that, looking at me like that? And this woman, Venable, where had she come from?_ It was all too much for your brain. Bringing the cigarette to your lips, you used your powers to spark it up, inhaling deeply as the tobacco crackled. Something had changed in Cordelia, something like a switch had been flicked. She had always been drawn to you, and you to her, but you saw the way she followed your movements, noticed the way you became so easily embarrassed by her, and had started toying with you in a way she never had. And this Venable woman, she was already taking an affect on you and you’d known her for twenty minutes. How you planned on going back in and facing them for the rest of their meal was beyond you, but you figured you would owe Ashley a new pack of cigarettes by the time they left.


	2. Mingling Amidst Clouds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, you just want an entire chapter that's pure smut. That's essentially what this is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to mention this. I am SO sorry there's been i think like 3 whole(gentle) mentions of witchcraft so far. It's coming, I swear, but my brain is definitely still warming up to this style of writing again. It will become more prevalent and important but I really wanted to get ya'll the NSFW content you deserve. PLEASE feel free to lemme know if there's things I'm messing up character wise, or even just elements you want to see! I have a rough outline of where this is going, but if ya'll wanna see anything specific, I'm game for suggestions! ily tysm

“Darling, did you hear me?” Cordelia’s soft voice rang in your ears as she padded up behind you on bare feet. Her hands skimmed your waist, and per usual you were pulled from a daydream while you were supposed to be doing chores. She laughed when you ducked your head in embarrassment, leaning back into her chest when she had settled behind you at the kitchen sink.

You were cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast, one of your few daily chores when you stayed the night with your girlfriends. The academy housed fewer girls than when you had attended, but breakfast never ceased to be the messiest meal of the day. You sighed contentedly and your eyes flutter closed as you let her sway you sweetly from side to side. “No, I’ll be honest, I didn’t. Guess my selective hearing was turned on. Sorry, Delia.” You teased, your hands wrapping over hers as she held you. The silky fabric of her floral-patterned dress teased the back of your legs, making you giggle. You wanted nothing more than for this moment to stretch on forever, so you didn’t have to inevitably get dressed and head into work later in the afternoon. You were on a closing dinner shift at the restaurant, which meant you wouldn’t be out until quite late, and as such wouldn’t see Cordelia or Mina until tomorrow at the earliest.

Cordelia pushed her nose into your soft hair, nuzzling through your curls until her lips grazed over your ear, “I asked if you would be done with your chores soon, so that I can ravish you before you leave.” You almost fell over on the spot. After almost two years of dating, the way this woman could still instantly affect you was baffling. And you loved it, and as did she. A soft moan left your lips, and you nodded to confirm you had heard her this time, words obviously failing you at the moment. Her chest rumbled as she laughed at you again, pulling away to lean around you and peck your cheek, noticing how warm it felt under her lips. She was about to tease you about it when you both heard the tell-tale tapping of Mina’s cane in the doorway.

You looked up to see Wilhemina standing on the threshold to the kitchen, leaning against her sturdy cane as she watched the both of you. A smirk adorned her perfectly-painted lips, and you didn’t realize you were moving until you were taking one more swaggering step towards her to stand directly in front of her, loving the way you always needed to look up at her as she perched on her stilettos. Per usual, she looked pristine; a violet blazer and white silk button down over matching fitted trousers, held up with her black and golden-clasp belt. She rarely wore pants, and usually only on days she planned on running errands without you there as her muscle. She was still smirking at you when you pulled your eyes back up from checking her out so blatantly. Mina had an expectant look in her eye though, and you were about to question it when she turned her head just slightly, dipping her chin and lowering her gaze so that it looked like she was offering you her cheek. And to your delight she was, which prompted you to jump to your tip-toes and press your soft lips to her cheek in a sweet hello kiss and a gentle, “Morning, Mina.”

The satisfied sigh you received had you grinning up at her before you peeked over your shoulder to find Cordelia. The blonde was already advancing on you, coming to stand over your shoulder as she greeted Mina as well with a quick peck to the same cheek you had kissed.

“Well, good morning to you both.” Mina purred, looking you up and down first before repeating the same assessing look-over on Cordelia. Where you blushed and hid your face at the attention, Delia simply batted her lashes and smirked right back at Mina. “Did you finish your chores like Cordelia asked you to, princess?” Mina asked, looking behind you to survey the kitchen for anything out of place. Anything to give her a reason to reprimand you, although all three of you knew she needed no excuse; she was the best at this game. You nodded your head to confirm, giving Mina your best puppy dog eyes.

“Yes, Mina.”

They didn’t usually work, and they weren’t going to work now. Wilhemina Venable had a soft spot for you, hell you _were_ the soft spot, but that didn’t mean she gave in so easily to your attempts at innocence. You technically had a few dirty coffee mugs left in the sink, but you had figured one of the girls could be bothered to clean later, since you rarely saw any of the younger witches lift a finger in the kitchen. And not to mention you had Delia and Mina looking at you like you were their lunch, and who were you to deny them their fun? Mina’s head tilted in curiosity before she stepped around you, meandering over to the sink like she was disinterested in her own trajectory. “You’re sure?” She purred at you over her shoulder, looking directly at the remaining dishes you hadn’t washed. The game had started, and you were already losing.

“W-Well, I have a couple of dishes left. But I can do them a bit later. Delia distracted me.” You murmured the last part, hoping neither would notice. But of course they did. And Mina was already walking back towards you with much more intent, her cane echoing with each step across the tile. Cordelia positioned herself where Mina had been standing in the doorway, effectively blocking your exit. Like you actually wanted to get away from them.

“What’s that, little one? Cordelia distracted you from doing one of the few chores you’re so burdened with in this home?” She was mocking you, though all three of you knew you did your chores happily and enjoyed helping out around the academy; anything to make this little game of theirs more exciting. You sucked your lower lip between your teeth, trying the puppy dog eyes once again on her. “You should know by now that doesn’t work on me, princess.” Mina was almost nose to nose with you by now, her eyes boring into yours as you tried to maintain eye contact. You lost, as per usual, and your chin dropped to your chest guiltily.

“‘M’sorry Mina.” Your apology was mumbled, and not surprisingly unsatisfactory to both women. Cordelia let out a bark of laughter, tinged with a darkness that immediately had you wet. You couldn’t help it, you loved when they were mean to you.

“Oh, darling, you’re not sorry yet.” Delia’s voice sang, pulling your attention away from Mina, who was still looming over you. “Upstairs, now. We’ll be up in a minute to deal with you.” And like that the sugary sweet tone was gone, replaced with the gravely depth of desire. It left no room for argument, as if you would try to contest a command from either of them. You were off without a glance backwards, striding up the stairs and down the corridor until you reached their bedroom and shut the door behind you.

Cordelia heard the faint click of her bedroom door close and chuckled, glancing up at Mina through her lashes. It really did make her tingle when you were so submissive and jumpy- a night and day difference from the confident and emphatic sommelier you showed the outside world. Wilhemina draped her hands on Delia’s waist, pulling her a bit closer for a more intimate kiss than the cheek peck she had received earlier. Happy to oblige, Cordelia closed her eyes and kissed Mina with an excitement she almost couldn’t contain. You had all been so busy recently it didn’t provide much time to have intimate moments alone. So both women jumped at the chance to have you all to themselves for at least the morning. “How long do you suppose we should keep her waiting, hmm?” Mina mumbled when the slightly shorter blonde lowered herself from tip-toes back to the cold tile.

“I think at least fifteen more minutes. Really let her squirm.” Delia giggled, and Mina flashed her a devilish smirk in return.

“Why, Miss Goode, you truly are evil.”

_______

_Oh, my god. It’s been at least an hour. Maybe two. Maybe they forgot about you._ Your mind raced as you knelt obediently in the middle of the four poster bed. It was expected of you, of course, when you were sent upstairs the way Cordelia had ordered. Eyes down, underwear only and kneeling in the center of the bed, patiently. Mina always said patiently, to remind you that your time was not more valuable than theirs. It sent a delightful shiver down your spine when you thought about how cruel the older redhead could be, and how much you enjoyed it. You couldn’t imagine what they were thinking up downstairs, but even the fleeting idea of Wilhemina’s hands on your ass and Cordelia’s lips against your skin had you drenched. Your underwear was sticking uncomfortably to your inner thighs and the whine you let out was almost loud enough to be heard across the academy. _What if I just get up and walk out?_ You thought, turning your gaze towards the closed door.

To your benefit, that thought couldn’t fully culminate, because the heavy wooden door was swinging open right as you looked at it. It was like they always knew when to burst in when you weren’t doing exactly what you should be. Like picking your head up when it should be obediently turned down. You snapped your eyes back down at your lap as quickly as you could, praying to the goddess Wilhemina hadn’t seen you. The click of Cordelia’s heels paired wonderfully with the staunch tapping of Wilhemina’s cane broke the silence in the room as both women walked towards you and situated themselves on either side of the foot of the bed.

Cordelia took the far side, standing to your right as you faced the end of the bed, with Wilhemina on your left. They shared a wicked look before the redhead cracked her cane against the floorboards, making you jump in surprise. “Stay still.” Wilhemina snapped, knowing you couldn’t help but flinch when she did that, and finding such joy in getting to reprimand you for it. “Now, I don’t know how many times we’ve gone over this, but I can see I will have to remind you once again. Your chores are not a discussion in this house. We aren’t in your dingey little apartment where you’re allowed to run amuck. You’re given plenty of time before your shifts to complete the very few tasks that are expected of you. And yet, you still manage to get too distracted to finish them.” She was standing directly in front of you now, and her cold fingers gripped your chin to pull your eyes up to meet hers. “Can you tell me why that is, princess?”

When you were finally forced to look up and into Wilhemina’s eyes, she was staring at you with such repugnance you could have cried. You shook your head as much as you could with your chin held in place, whimpering, “I.. I don’t know, Ms. Venable.” She scoffed at your answer, unimpressed, and pushed your face away from her. You looked at Cordelia pleadingly, like she might help you, but she was looking at Wilhemina with a fiery playfulness in her eyes. You gulped.

“‘I don’t know.’ That’s always the answer with you.” It was Cordelia who was speaking now, somehow you hadn’t noticed her lean in towards you until her breath was tickling your ear. Wilhemina was quick witted and even quicker to pull you over her lap if the mood struck her, but Cordelia had the devilish ability to have you squirming and pleading with her from just a few dirty words. She was exceptional at figuring out your filthy desires, and humiliating you with them in the best way. “I think you know quite well why you act up, or forget, or simply get ‘too distracted’ to do as you're told. You love when we hold you down and punish you ‘til you’re a crying, dripping, needy mess.” She punctuated each adjective against the shell of your ear, making you squirm and whimper. “Don’t you, darling?” She purred.

“No, I don’t.” You tried to sound more confident than you felt, but it still came out squeaky. Wilhemina hummed in amusement, wandering over to the dresser as Cordelia snuck a hand into your hair. With a swift yank she pulled you off the bed and turned you around so your thighs rested against the front of the mattress, slamming your face into the sheets.

“Oh, you don’t? So if I reach between your legs right now, I’m not going to find evidence of your sopping little cunt on my fingers?” Cordelia taunted you, smiling cruelly when you whined and shook your head. You could feel yourself getting wetter, and knew she knew you were as well. You couldn’t help yourself, it was undeniably sexy when she talked to you like that. One hand kept your face pushed roughly into the sheets while the other gripped the waistband of your boyshorts and ripped them halfway down your thighs. She ghosted her hand back up your legs toward your exposed center, the brush of her skin making you shiver. Without much more preamble her index and middle finger were dipping into your pussy, drawing out a long moan that was muffled by the soft sheets. Cordelia pumped her fingers into you a few times before ripping them away harshly, leaving you feeling quite empty. “Dearest, you’re absolutely soaked,” She laughed, and it was throaty and dark and made your head spin wildly.

“That is hardly surprising from a pain slut like her.” Wilhemina commented casually, standing behind you once again. She had grabbed her favorite cane from the dresser, running the worn bamboo up the back of your calf all the way to your tailbone, so you knew what you were dealing with. “Luckily for you, little one, I think we’ve come up with an improved punishment to fit your crimes. Perhaps you’ll actually learn something about discipline this time.” You didn’t like how conversationally she was speaking right now. They were conspiring against you, and as exciting as the prospect of a new game was, you were terrified at the same time. All of which combined to make you somehow even more drenched than before. Cordelia’s hand left your hair, so she could steady herself to climb up onto the bed in front of you. She swung a leg over your torso so her knees were on either side of your head, and to your delight, you learned quickly she wasn’t wearing any underwear. You licked your lips unconsciously, earning you a smirk from the blonde.

Wilhemina positioned herself to your left side, tapping your ankle with her cane so you would spread your legs. You moved them to shoulder width apart for her, but a quick swat to your ass told you that wasn’t far enough. So you pushed your feet farther apart, bending over and effectively pushing your ass up higher. The position must’ve finally pleased her, because a low hum echoed in your ears from Wilhemina. “Now, princess, I’ll preface your punishment with this; you will be allowed to cum, but not until Cordelia does. So, your focus should very much be on pleasing her. You will count, like always, and I suppose we’ll see how long it will take for you to learn how to ignore distractions and stick to the task at hand.” For dramatic emphasis, Cordelia grabbed you by the hair and pulled your face higher between her thighs, her grip ironclad. “Are you ready?”

“Yes, Ms. Venable.”

Your lips brushed against Cordelia’s clit as she pushed you between her legs, and you let out a soft moan. She smelled divine, and you were already greedily lapping at her entrance. “You know, Mina, this might take her quite awhile. Are we sure she can even count high enough?” Cordelia mocked you, but her tone was undercut with pure lust as your lips wrapped around her swollen clit. The remark made you moan, but the sharp snap of the bamboo cane across your asscheek obscured it into a yelp of pain.

“O-One,” You tried, and failed, to say louder than a whimper. Another swat, on the other cheek this time, and you were groaning hotly against Cordelia’s cunt. “Two.” This was already proving to be harder than you thought. You couldn’t seem to keep your mouth on Cordelia long enough to get a rhythm going before you needed to count again. This is why they were teasing you so much, they knew you wouldn’t be able to concentrate hard enough to not fail epically. You turned your mouth to Cordelia’s inner thigh and bit down when Wilhemina brought the cane across your upper thighs, making stinging contact with your pussy. You cried into the soft flesh between your teeth, but Cordelia was pulling your face back to the task at hand.

“I don’t think so, darling. Get back to work. And stay focused.” Cordelia growled, giving your hair another tug simply because she could.

The way Wilhemina was watching you and Cordelia was nothing short of predatory. The older women exchanged a smile before Cordelia tipped her head back, allowing herself a low moan. With the few extra seconds of relief you were punishing her clit with your tongue, trying to work her up while you could. Wilhemina made sure to put a stop to your focus, swinging the cane down harshly three times in quick succession along the same spot. She smirked when you threw your head back with a wail of pain. She wasn’t embarrassed to say she was very much looking forward to watching you cry, and how soon that would happen.

“F-Five..” You finally piped up, pulling your head out of the sheets and pressing your nose back against Cordelia’s clit. Her hands pressed you harshly into her slippery skin as your tongue delved deeply into her cunt. She tasted like heaven, and it never ceased to make you wetter. Wilhemina brought the cane down repeatedly on each ass cheek.

Your head was swimming, blood pounding in your ears as you picked your head up to count again. Your body was slick with sweat, and you could feel several of the welts Wilhemina left on your ass starting to bleed. You thought you had lost count, but thankfully your brain was on autopilot at least in that regard. “T-Twenty… Twenty-three.” Tears had fallen, and dried, and fallen again across your blotchy red cheeks, and at this point you could hardly count without sobbing. Cordelia, thankfully, was quite close and wouldn’t even let you pull away to count as she bucked her hips into your mouth. She was riding your face with such ferocity even Wilhemina halted her onslaught on your ass to watch with quite an interest. When you grazed your teeth across her clit, then sucked it between your lips she came undone. With a howl of delight, making the lights on the wall flicker just slightly, Cordelia came into your mouth, panting heavily with the effort.

Just for good measure, and because she could, Wilhemina slapped the cane one more time across your ass, laughing when you screamed into the sheets that Cordelia had just soaked. “Please.. Please Ms. Venable.. Please let me cum.. I can’t anymore, I can’t.” You sobbed, your knuckles ghostly white from gripping the sheets in pain.

Rolling her eyes like it was such a tough request, Wilhemina dropped the cane onto the bed beside you. “Alright, princess. I suppose you do deserve your reward.” She was rough and unyielding as she shoved her index and middle fingers into your puffy cunt. You were dripping down your thighs, and your whole body felt like you’d been lit on fire when she dragged her digits through your folds before pushing back into you again. “No surprise you enjoyed that, filthy little whore that you are. You love it when we abuse you, don’t you, little one?”

Your head was nodding your agreement wildly, and despite how your thighs burned from the effort of holding yourself up through your punishment, you still pushed back into Wilhemina’s every thrust. Cordelia was running her fingers through your hair, scratching your scalp in that way she knew you loved, and murmuring at you. “That’s it, darling. Come for us.”

With her encouragement, and Wilhemina’s onslaught of your aching pussy, you finally toppled over the edge with a scream that rivaled Delia’s. Every part of you trembled on the bed, your fingers clenching and releasing the sheets over and over as you rode your high. At some point your vision blurred, and the world around you started to fade away.

_____________

You stepped out of the bathroom, steam curling around you as you padded across the hardwood floor towards your girlfriends. After your afternoon escapades, a nap, and some late-night dinner when you finally closed the restaurant, you were exhausted and ready to crawl into bed with them. Your shift had been a little rougher than normal, which you could certainly blame your bruised ass for. And, honestly, you were surprised they were still awake when you decided on staying at their place last minute. Mina was reading her newest book on one side of the king-sized bed, Delia leafing through some documents on the other, with your spot open between them. Your heart fluttered, like it almost always did seeing the space they never failed to leave for you. You snagged your oversized t-shirt from the back of a chair and crawled up the bed to get comfortable.

Mina moved her book so that her hand closest to you was free, and you immediately took that as an offering to cuddle. She shifted around slightly, and you slipped yourself beneath her arm so you could rest your head on her chest. Your eyes closed contentedly and your fingers painted a lazy pattern on the part of her lavender nightgown that hid her upper thigh. “Do you work in the morning, princess?” Mina murmured, then turned a page. You nodded, nuzzling your nose closer to her skin. “Maybe you should be sleeping then.” She teased as your lips brushed her chest, making her shiver a bit.

“I can’t help it if you’re so soft, makes me wanna stay awake.” You knew it riled her up when you or Delia even hinted that she was cute, or soft, or adorable, or any adjective that could also be used to describe a small animal. So you quickly rectified by mentioning, “I should try to sleep though. Andre and I have a couple meetings before we open with event planners from the Liberty Hotel.”

Delia finally dropped her papers to her lap, leaning over to cup your cheek lovingly. “What are the meetings for, darling?” She had never heard you talk about meetings with other restaurants and definitely not with a fancy hotel across town.

A sleepy smile formed on your lips as she rubbed your cheek, trying to stifle your yawn in Mina’s chest. “It’s a secret, Delia. I can’t tell anyone yet. The event hasn’t even officially been confirmed.”

This had Mina putting her book down as well so she could look at you curiously. “Such a big secret you can’t even tell your loving girlfriends?”

“Nuh uh,” you mumbled, finally succumbing to sleep before Delia or Mina could grill you any further about your new secret.

With a raspy chuckle, Delia leaned down and pressed a kiss to your forehead, then to Mina’s lips. “I wonder how long until she breaks and tells us.”

“Well, that just depends.” Mina smirked.

“On what?”

“How high she can count.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soooo theres that. it's 2:30 my time as i post this and i have NOT proofread it NOR will I until I'm not sleep deprived. again, and as always, thank you for reading, please leave some love if you're so inclined, annddd enjoy!!!!


	3. Not From 'Round Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your secret event is coming together, your girlfriends have something important to ask you, you've got quite a bit on your plate, and now there's a new guy in town giving you hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUn dun dunnnnnnnn. Here we go, cookin' with oil. A little drama, a sprinkle of angst, some lighthearted teasing. All in good fun, for now. Apologies for consistent references of smoking, as a restaurant worker, and i'm sure anyone who has worked in one can contest, it's just our culture. Brief mentions of weed in future chapters, tags will change accordingly.

“Well, Jane, thank you so much for coming to meet with us today. I know how busy you must be at the hotel, so I appreciate any and all of your help with this event. And it’s a pleasure to officially meet you.” You smiled politely at the older woman as you stood up from behind your desk to shake her hand. Jane ran the show at the Liberty Hotel across town, in charge of their three restaurants and any event their chefs might be involved in. And you had every intention of involving them, among other industry stars in New Orleans. 

Andre was sitting next to you, and was reaching out to shake Jane’s hand when he saw you stand, and followed suit with a guilty smile. He had come in that morning excited to talk with her specifically, having met Jane at a charity event she hosted that supported earthquake relief in Puerto Rico, where they were both from. She was charmed at his interest in charity, and he was enamored with her luscious dark curls and sweet smile. Not that Andre wasn’t handsome, he just happened to be a dorky, twelve year old boy in the body of a thirty-three year old chain smoking executive chef. Jane shook your hand first, then Andre’s, lingering with her hand in his for just a moment too long. You left them to make googly eyes at one another and headed upstairs to the dining room to greet the next coordinator for your last meeting of the day. 

It was still early, and Dolmade wasn’t even open for lunch yet. You had gotten up before either of your girlfriends, leaving the coffee on for them downstairs with a threatening note for the girls to not drink any of it. But now that you had gotten three meetings done before eleven, you were quickly running out of coffee and patience; and you still had a closing dinner shift to work through. You should have been done with meetings by now, but there was a last-minute email you had missed the night before. From a Jax Strife. A strangely familiar, though you couldn’t place how, star chef from Austin.  _ Of all the horrible celebrity chef names you’d heard by now, you think you’d remember if you had met him,  _ you thought and wandered into the kitchen, hoping your private stock of cold brew was still well-hidden. 

  
  


The door clicked loudly, signaling someone had either left, or just walked in. You assumed it was Jane finally done flirting with Andre. You poured yourself the last few ounces of the cold brew you kept on hand for long shifts, and took a long swig. The door clicked again. The restaurant wouldn’t be open for another half hour, so this must be Jax. You tossed the empty coffee container in the sink and looked yourself over quickly. You had on a pastel pink fitted suit over a black shirt and shiny black oxford-style Doc’s. You usually wore all black, like any good witch, but it didn’t hurt to mix it up now and then. 

  
  


Before you could even round the corner of the kitchen, you heard a sing-song, “Hell-ooooo…”. It came from the server station, at the back of the restaurant and across from the kitchen.  _ Hmph. Nosey. _ You rolled your eyes as you finally saw where the voice came from, well who it came from, as he poked his head down the set of stairs that led to the basement, and your office. You came to a halt with your hands politely folded in front of you, taking a page out of Delia’s book, trying to convey patience and authority simultaneously. You were about to greet him when he turned around with a bit of a jump, momentarily taken off guard. But he recovered quickly with a sly smile and a cheesy, “Well, hello there, beautiful. I think you’re the one I’m supposed to be chatting with, yeah? I’m Jax Strife.” He had a slight southern drawl and the disposition of someone much too big for his britches. Jax was tanned and muscled in the obnoxious way that showed he only did it for attention, and it immediately set you on edge. So many popular chefs were all alike, only in it for the money and ego-boost. 

  
  


You almost couldn’t hold back a chuckle. Instead, you bit the inside of your cheek and smiled tightly. “Right. Nice to meet you Mr. Strife. Andre will be up in just a second and we can start.”

“Well, I just can’t wait, darlin’.” He drawled and walked past you, taking a seat at the six top near the kitchen window.

_____________

  
  


“Yes, Mr. Strife I see where you’re coming from. But the whole point of this event is to highlight local and sustainable producers. Andre and I both would really like to have your support of this event, but we can’t… We can’t make it all about your style of cooking. If you know what I mean?” You were exasperated at this point, dealing with this ridiculous man. He had decent ideas, and you told him as much, but otherwise he was arrogant and pushy, and it made your blood boil. He was trying to convince you and Andre to serve his strange, French-goes-Texas cuisine as part of this event, because he would be the visiting celebrity chef. You hardly saw him as that figure, but even Jane had mentioned his name was starting to really circulate in the industry. So you tried again when you saw him lean back in his chair and smirk at you, like he was deciding if he wanted to be offended. “Jax, really, we appreciate the fact that you want to be involved in this. We just simply can’t boast a local showcase of New Orleans gastronomic fare and only offer one type of cuisine. You get that, right? If we could highlight your favorite dish to prepare, that would be awesome.” You tried to give him a genuine smile, but you knew it wasn’t reaching your eyes. 

Finally Jax leaned forward and looked directly at Andre, who had been silent most of the meeting while you and Jax essentially had it out. “What do you think, brother? If you’re okay taking on all the extra work, I’ll only cook one dish. I thought I would help out, take some stress off your plate, but if Miss Y/N thinks you can cook everything else yourself, no sweat.” He was grinning now, but wouldn’t take his eyes off Andre, who turned to you looking slightly worried. You knew Andre was lazy, but you also hoped he would be above letting this guy steamroll you and this event you were both so excited about. 

  
  


Instead of saying anything, you just looked at Andre and shrugged, then stood up. Jax didn’t want to acknowledge you now, which suited you just fine, and you were happy to be done with this conversation. “Uh, yeah, man, I think I can handle it. Thanks anyway.” Andre finally muttered, standing up awkwardly and sticking out his hand to Jax, obviously wanting this all to be over. 

Jax just laughed and shook Andre’s hand, then reached much too quickly for yours when you offered it. “Enchante.” He purred, then snatched your fingers in his grip and brought the back of your hand to his lips before you could even realize what he had done. There was no way he didn’t hear you growl when you yanked your hand back from him. Your magic simmered in your chest, and could feel it prickling at your fingertips.  _ Take a freaking breath, you can’t explode right now,  _ you reminded yourself, sticking both hands in your jacket pockets and composing your features.

“Yeah, charmed I’m sure.” You muttered and walked away briskly, leaving Andre looking both pissed off and confused. You stood with your back to the dining room when you reached the server station, waiting to hear him leave before you slammed your hand down onto the metal countertop. Three porcelain coffee mugs jumped at how hard you struck the counter, and ended up crashing onto the tile in several large shards. Letting out a frustrated breath, you bent down to clean up your mess. Then, all of a sudden Ashley was beside you, helping you pick up the pieces. You hadn’t heard her come in.

Ashley had a few big pieces in her hand as she stood and looked at you curiously. “Hey, your majesty, what’s up? Usually I’m the one who gets mad and breaks things.” She tried to joke to make you feel better, so you offered her a curt smile in return. Her smile faded, and she looked back at the front door where Jax had passed her outside. He had made some gross comment on her appearance as she approached the restaurant, but she knew he was a meeting of yours so she had bit her tongue but scowled at him as she walked by. “So, uhm, was that one of your event planners that just left? Seems like a real piece of work.” Ashley stepped around you to dump the porcelain she was cradling in the trash, flicking her long, shiny blonde hair over her shoulder. It was supposed to be properly tied back, and she knew it. But Ashley had a thing for you, and she couldn’t help but try to charm you whenever possible. You didn’t usually give in, throwing her a smirk or a teasing comment now and then just for fun. 

Once you righted yourself, gingerly carrying the broken porcelain over to the trash, you finally settled your voice so you didn’t sound as bothered as you were. “No, that was Jax Strife, if you can believe it. He’s a chef from Austin that for some reason comes highly recommended from Jane over at the Liberty. And yeah, he is definitely a piece of work. We don’t have to worry though, big bad Andre will keep him in place.” You winked at her, only because you knew Andre was within ear shot as he prepped in the kitchen. You dusted yourself off, and looked around the restaurant briefly to see if anything else needed to be attended to before you opened for service. Everything seemed in place, and you smiled proudly to yourself before walking over to the host stand to check reservations.

  
  


“Pre-shift is in 5 minutes, Ash. Put your hair up and your attitude away.” That earned you a loud groan and what you could only assume was an eye roll from Ashley. You couldn’t tell because she had her back to you, pouring herself coffee. You tried and failed to hold back a laugh. “You can’t already be annoyed with me, you’re stuck with me until close.” 

  
  


That earned you silence, so you took a moment to check your phone. You had a few email notifications, some from social media apps, and a text from Mina waiting for you. Your heart jumped seeing her name on the screen, like it did every time. 

  
  


_ ‘Thank you for the coffee, princess. We missed you this morning, though.’ _

  
  


Was all she had written, but it was enough to make you bite your lip as you reread the text a few times, thinking out your answer.

  
  


‘Anything for you two [insert smiley/blush emoji]. And I miss you both too, it’s already been a long day.’

You sent off, locking your phone before you could get caught up sending something romantic. Mina would only tease you later for being cheesy. You tucked your phone into the drawer of the host stand and headed off to get your team ready for service.

____________

  
  


Your text lit up Wilhemina’s screen while she sat across from Cordelia in the Supreme’s office, both of them focusing intently on their work. Delia was researching potential recruits for the academy, her forehead creased with concentration. She took up one half of the large meeting-table-made-workspace while Mina took up the other, a neat compilation of her lesson plans laid out in front of her. Although Mina wasn’t a witch, she was an instructor at the academy. Cordelia had offered her the position after only a few months of dating, she had been so enamored with Mina’s gift for retaining history. After a bit of convincing, Wilhemina Venable became the history and writing instructor, something Delia thought was necessary to have beyond just witch-related subjects. 

Mina looked up at her phone, reading your message quickly before locking the screen and setting it down, not being much of a texter if she was being honest. Cordelia picked her head up, throwing Mina a warm smile. “Who’re you texting, my love?” Her voice was light and playful as she watched the older redhead start to smile. 

  
  


“Y/N. I was thanking her for making us coffee this morning, considering she’s usually still in bed by our second cup.” Mina couldn’t help but smirk. You weren’t an early riser normally, and your typical excuse to stay in bed was usually something along the lines of,  _ I need at least another hour of beauty sleep if you two are going to be seen with me.  _ Your silly way of complimenting them, and getting more time in bed. “Seems she’s having a rough day at the restaurant. Perhaps you’d like to text her.” Mina offered lazily, trying to convey to Delia that though she was obviously unphased by your text, maybe she was a bit worried about you. That didn’t mean she was going to express such feelings in a little grey box though. 

  
  


Batting her lashes, Delia simply hummed and picked up her phone. The blonde knew what Mina was getting at. She sent you a quick good morning text with a heart emoji next to it before setting her phone back down. “I know she was a bit anxious with all the meetings this morning. I hope none of them went poorly. Did she mention if she was staying over tonight?” Mina shook her head in response, already focused on her work again.

  
  


“I can’t keep track of the girl’s schedule.” The redhead sighed as she moved a few pieces of paper around to different piles. 

  
  


“Well, maybe if she lived here, that wouldn’t be as much of a problem.” There was a wistfulness in Delia’s voice that made Mina look up. The blonde was giving her your signature puppy dog eyes, so pouty and hopeful it would have made you proud. 

  
  


Mina simply brought her chin down into her palm, resting her elbow on the table and fixing Delia with a pointed look, all while trying to hide a smirk. “You know my opinion on this matter already, sweetheart. But she’s very independent, and she didn’t seem at all interested in living with us when I was moving in last year.” She could see the wind falling from Delia’s sails and quickly tried to recover the excitement her girlfriend had shimmering in her eyes. “Maybe we should ask her properly this time. Her lease on that cardboard box she calls an apartment will be up in a few months, and she hasn’t mentioned re-signing yet. Perhaps it’s time, and she’ll be ready.” Mina tried to make her voice sound more hopeful than anxious despite how this conversation was making her feel. Delia grinned back at her girlfriend, seeing that she’d won, and picked her phone up to text you and ask if you were coming over that evening, so she could start mentally preparing for this conversation. Mina just shook her head and tried to focus back on her lesson plans, but her thoughts were preoccupied most of the afternoon, thinking and worrying over what you would say. She would understand if you said no, but she also knew the rejection would sting for a while.

  
  


_You had been so excited for them around this time last year when your girlfriends sat you down to tell you Mina would be moving into the academy. You had only been seeing them for about six months, much too soon for you to move in as well. But in your excitement you didn’t let them finish their announcement. They were going to mention you were free to move in with them when the year anniversary of your relationship came up, if you were interested, but you were already jumping out of your seat and rambling. “This is great! Now Mina doesn’t have to come from all the way across town, and I don’t have to drive the wrong way to pick her up.” You had flashed the redhead a cheeky smile, which had earned you an exasperated eye roll, before you started up again. “And I just got that new bed, so when we need some true alone time,” your voice dropped for emphasis, earning a blush from Delia, “We can just stay at mine! Oh, this is so great.”_ _You were so elated for them, it didn’t cross your mind to be bothered that they hadn’t asked you to move in, you were just genuinely happy your girlfriends were happy. So they left it at that, both realizing it wasn’t the time to bring up your living arrangements as well._

  
  


__________

  
  


A string of printed tickets hung over your shoulders as you zipped back and forth behind the bar. Your evening bartender had called out last minute, leaving you to shake cocktails and seat guests. You thanked all the goddesses that the restaurant was known more for wine than mixed drinks. You could handle popping bottles all night, but you didn’t think you could keep up with a slew of craft cocktails that all had at least 4 different ingredients in each build. 

  
  


Each ticket on your paper necklace was requesting a different type of wine, so you climbed up the sliding ladder and started plucking bottles of white, red, and rose from the shelf. You mumbled a spell, using it to kind of highlight which bottles you needed so you didn’t have to look too hard. You knew using magic for laziness was looked down upon, especially by your girlfriends, but it was the middle of rush and you were down a bartender. Laziness definitely was going to win this time. Finally jumping down from the ladder, you put all seven bottles of wine and their corresponding slips beside them at the drink pass before zipping off to greet the newest guests at the host stand. It was going to be a very, very long night. 

  
  


When the last guests finally shuffled out, you bid them all goodnight with a tired, but genuine, smile. “Thank you so much for joining us. We hope to see you again soon.” One older woman shook your hand and complemented Andre’s cooking with quite a bit of enthusiasm, mentioning you were running quite a well-kept ship as she left. “Well, it helps when you have amazing waitstaff, and an even more amazing chef.” You couldn’t take all the credit, the place wouldn’t run without your employees doing their best. You playfully nudged Ashley who was standing beside you, also saying goodbye to a group of regulars who visited several times a month.

  
  


“Flattery won’t make up for you incessantly teasing me all night.” She pouted, locking the door as you started running end of night reports on your POS system. You mumbled something about her being unable to take a joke, but she was already walking away, and you were too focused on just trying to get through the night before you collapsed. Your phone buzzed in your pocket, and you pulled it out assuming it was a stupid cat meme from Ashley that she’d sent you on instagram. But it was a text from Cordelia, because you had never responded to her earlier text asking if you were staying at the academy tonight. Then, there was a glass being pushed closer and closer to the hand you were using to lean against the host stand. It was full of something amber-colored, and you knew without taking more than a glance at it what it was. Ashley was tempting you with bourbon, and the sweet but savory scent wafting into your nose was already winning.  _ You could hang out at the bar with the staff for a little bit and still make it home to your girlfriends at a reasonable hour _ , you thought. You typed out a quick response to Delia.

  
  


‘Hi! I’m sorry I forgot to respond, the rush was crazy tonight. Still finishing up here, I might not be done for a while. Can I let you know in a bit if I’m staying over?’ 

  
  


Her response was almost immediate, and nowhere near as formal as Mina texted. _ ‘All good, darling. Let me know in a bit what your plan is. Just want to make sure you get home safe. xoxo’ _

  
  


Your heart fluttered, and you wondered briefly how you could have gotten so lucky to have two wonderful girlfriends waiting for you at home. But the smirk resting on Ashley’s lips when she saw you smiling at your phone like a fool had you locking the screen and stowing your device in the drawer of the host stand. “Shut up and drink.” You muttered, throwing the cool liquid back in one gulp. Ashley simply shrugged and followed suit, tossing back her bourbon as well.

  
  


Things progressed as they usually did after a closing dinner shift. Most of the kitchen staff convinced the servers, and you, to join them at the pub on the next block up. Per usual, Justine and Ashley were in a heated argument about who could take more shots before falling over; the evidence of their experiment laying around them as empty shot glasses in a pool of silver tequila. You didn’t touch the clear stuff, always preferring to stick with one type of liquor per night, and it was always bourbon. It made you feel more rebellious and mouthy, and you enjoyed how it softened your insecurities about having to be the stoic leader all the time. Your staff wouldn’t invite you, and Andre, out to drink with them if they didn’t like you. Something you tried to remind yourself when you had to lay down the law at work. Throwing back your third, or was it fourth, bourbon of the night, you swatted Andre on the arm to get his attention so he could save your seat at the bar. You wandered off in the direction of the bathroom, a slight sway to your step.

  
  


An exasperated chuckle left your lips as you exited the bathroom stall, focused so intently on trying to loop the smaller of the two buttons on your pants into its hole, you didn’t see the other person in the bathroom until you almost ran smack into her. Ashley used the opportunity to drape her arms around your shoulders dramatically, like she had lost her balance when you almost bumped into her. You gave her a strange look, the alcohol momentarily clouding your ability to form quick and concise thoughts. “Uh, hey, Ash, what’s up?” You asked, trying to pull away from her. She only tightened her grip, pulling you closer between her arms as she looked up at you with her dazzling green eyes. You weren’t much taller than her, but it was enough of a height difference that you had to look down at her slightly to make eye contact.

  
  


“Oh, nothing. I was just wondering where you’d gotten off to. I was hoping you’d teach me how to play pool again.” Her voice was a bit slurred, but you could say the same for your own. Those were pretty heavy pours you were knocking back. The bartender knew you and your staff pretty well by now, and he was known to have a heavy hand when service industry friends stopped by. You laughed, quite awkwardly, and tried once again to slide out from between her arms. She let you this time, but moved to stand in front of the door. You took the opportunity to clear your head while you washed your hands, splashing a bit of water on your face for good measure. Ashley was pretty much harmless, and you usually didn’t mind her affections, but you had told her on plenty of occasions you were happily committed. “I don’t think the last lesson really stuck. Will you come show me again?” She sang at you, hoping to lure you into leaning over the pool table with her. 

  
  


Taking a deep breath you turned on the smaller blonde, smiling quite wickedly at her. You had a bit of a dominant side that rarely came out to play. But sometimes, this girl could really fire you up. You closed the space between you and Ashley quickly, effectively pinning her against the bathroom door, so no one could walk in on you. She whimpered and her eyes slid shut, tilting her head up against the wood like she was already ready for you to ravage her. You smirked, leaning into her until your lips ghosted over her ear, and in your most predatory voice you whispered, “I don’t think you really deserve that much of my attention, kitten. Maybe when you learn to listen to my instructions, I’ll teach you something new.” Then you were pushing past her and out the bathroom door, leaving the younger blonde shivering in the bathroom. 

  
  


Your cheeks were blazing hot as you took your seat next to Andre, lifting your hand up to get the bartender's attention for another round. You didn’t usually give into her like that.  _ What’s gotten into you?  _ You scolded yourself. It wasn’t that you weren’t allowed to flirt, or weren’t allowed to have a dominant side. It was simply that you, and your girlfriends, preferred to play with your soft and submissive side. Both Mina and Delia had mentioned Ashley would make a fun toy for you, which had made you scoff, as though you would never stoop so low as to play with a subordinate. They shrugged and told you you were allowed, as long as you asked first. You never really wanted it to progress with Ashley like that anyway. It was mostly just fun to rile her up the way she did to you. 

  
  


A large pour of bourbon was slid in front of you, and it almost made you wince. But you wouldn’t be rude and not finish your drink. You asked for water as well, and when the bartender walked away you swung your chair around to survey your staff enjoying themselves. Andre and a few of the line cooks were talking about video games, Ashley was with Justine, and the poor brunette was looking at Ashley like she put the stars in the sky. The alcohol fueled the obvious infatuation Justine had with her coworker, but she also usually looked at the senior server that way even sober. Ashley caught you looking and took Justine by the hand to drag her over to where you were sitting at the bar.

“Hey, your highness.” She almost yelled. She was definitely drunk, and the shit-eating smile she was wearing proved it. “Come outside with us and protect us while we smoke a cigarette. I’ll even give you one. Don’t need these gross boys hitting on us while we enjoy ourselves.” Ashley stuck her tongue out at one of the cooks who was throwing bar straws at her while she harassed you. You appreciated that Ashley never let your rejection deter her from annoying you. It was a fun game, and you truthfully enjoyed playing it with her. 

You stood up in one fluid motion, to your own surprise, the whiskey making your head spin just a bit. “It’s ‘your majesty’ to you, brat. And I will take a cigarette, yes, but no I will not protect you from the likes of Joey. Maybe Justine will.” You laughed and sauntered toward the front door, leaving Justine blushing and Ashley to smack Joey on the arm when he threw another straw at her. You made it outside before the girls, and lit your cigarette with just a thought, reveling in the way it burned down your throat. Ashley knew you were a witch, and was surprisingly good at keeping it on the down low, but you weren’t sure if you were ready to tell Justine. Looking down at your watch you saw it was getting rather late, and you still hadn’t told your girlfriends if you were staying at the academy.  _ Delia will be worried,  _ you told yourself, reaching into your pocket for your phone, but it wasn’t there. So you patted yourself down, ducking out of the way of the bar door when Ashley and Justine came tumbling out. 

You definitely didn’t have your phone on you, and Ashley laughed as you spun around a bit like it might for some reason be on the ground. “What’re you looking for?” She drawled, trying to keep a straight face while Justine attempted, and failed, to light both of their cigarettes at the same time. You stopped in your tracks when you remembered it was in the host stand. Of course you had forgotten it at work. 

“I forgot my phone in the host stand.” You were already walking over to the girls, snatching the lighter and lighting their cigarettes for them. Handing the lighter back, you dug your wallet out of your jacket and handed Ashley a hundred dollar bill. “I have to go get it, and get home. Pay my tab please, and yours, and tip them.” You tugged the bill away right as Ashley was about to grab it, looking quite greedy. “Hey. I mean it, pay Justine’s tab too and don’t stiff Jason. I know he’s kind of weird but he’s always been nice to us.” You chuckled and finally let the drunk blonde have the cash. When she turned to show Justine, the brunette giggled and muttered something about another round of shots. You used the moment to steal Ashley’s cigarettes out of her purse where they were about to fall out of the front pocket.  _ She won’t miss them much, _ you thought.

“Alright, alright, I will. You walking home?” She asked, stuffing the bill in her pocket, watching you starting to back away towards the restaurant.

You took a long drag of your cigarette, the smoke wafting off your lips as you spoke. “Don’t I always? Oh, and I stole your cigarettes. I owe you, babe.” You laughed, turning on your heel and trotting off down the street before Ashley could chase after you. 

Ashley stomped her foot like a petulant child, looking at Justine like she could possibly do something about it. “Asshole!” She yelled after you. “Text me when you get home!” She followed up with; you were her friend, even when you annoyed the hell out of her. 

Turning back around, Ashley looped her arm through Justine’s and led her back inside, but something made her stride stutter as she passed the front window. Inside the crowded bar, for just a moment as the girls passed by, someone weirdly familiar sat across the room sipping a glass of whiskey. Ashley swore it was the guy from earlier, who had hit on her and put you in a mood for the first half of service. You had told her how creepy this Jax dude was, and she was sure it was him. But when she turned back to see if it really was, the seat was empty, and void of a drink or even a receipt on the bar. “Must be the tequila talking.” Ashley sighed, leading the way back inside to pay their tab.

  
  


You were far enough down the block, and well enough inebriated, you never would have noticed Jax leave the bar behind you, keeping a reasonable distance from you all the way to the restaurant. 

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading friends! Are we already creeped out by Jax??? you should be.


	4. Today is Canceled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> after some angst and who knows how you got that bump on your head, we have a fluffy, smutty good time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhm- tag change psa: i tagged alcohol abuse, solely because from your perspective, you don't know how things played out from last chapter, and that comes into play here. But as a general thing, there's no foul play, it'll allll be resolved in timeee. just dont want to trigger anyone :3

Blinding sunlight cascaded through your bedroom window and across your bedsheets. The curtains had never been drawn closed the night before, and the white rays of light were hitting you square in the face as you came-to. Your head was spinning, a piercing headache was starting to form the moment your eyes opened into the cold light of day. You looked around your own room, a little confused at first as to how you had woken up in your bed. The last thing you remembered was walking back to Dolmade to retrieve your phone.

_You fumbled, drunkenly, with your keys in Dolmade’s locked front door, sighing as you had to try a third key. The alcohol was beating a warm rhythm through your veins, and you leaned into the door frame like you were too exhausted to try another time. You hadn’t thought you were this drunk when you left the bar, but as you walked the short distance to the restaurant and finished your cigarette, the hot summer night wrapped you up and all you wanted to do was close your eyes and succumb to the warmth. Something clicked. Duh, you had convenient magical powers. Trying to focus your brain enough to teleport you inside, you closed your eyes tightly and whispered a spell. A moment later, you were standing, swaying more like it, next to the host stand inside the restaurant._

Another painful jolt pulled you from your memories, you could feel the vein in your temple pounding, begging you for water and probably some aspirin. That little snippet was really all you could remember before the rest of the night became a blur. But you had definitely not ended up at the academy like you had planned. Immediately, worry tightened your chest. _I never called them, did I?_ You panicked, reaching for your phone on your night stand. It was dead. Grabbing the charger, you plugged your phone in, knowing you would have at least a few missed calls and texts from Cordelia. “Fucking hell.” You grumbled, tossing your bed sheets to the side and standing up much too quickly. You had no idea what time it was, but from how bright the sun was shining you assumed you were probably late for work, and even worse, in so much trouble with your girlfriends. You were scheduled for a ten o’clock shift, but you thought there was no way you were running more than fifteen or twenty minutes behind.

If you were going to be late, you might as well get something to eat and have a cup of coffee. Andre would already be there, and so would Ashley, things could run smoothly without you for an extra thirty minutes, you presumed. Your apartment wasn’t very big, but you did have the whole house to yourself. A quaint one bedroom equidistant between Dolmade and the academy, and you had a cute backyard that you enjoyed gardening in, or playing soccer with Cordelia whenever she was in the mood. You swung your bedroom door open, noticing you hadn’t bothered to put pajamas on when you had gotten home either; just ripped off your clothes and slept in your briefs and sports bra, which was what you were still donning as you walked down the hall and into the kitchen.

The sight that greeted you stopped you in your tracks. Color drained from your cheeks when you saw both of your girlfriends idling in your kitchen, holding coffee mugs but otherwise silent and brooding. You thought you had smelled coffee when you had initially woken up, but you figured it was your brain playing a cruel trick on you. Cordelia looked more pensive than you had ever seen her, and Mina had her back to the hallway, effectively blocking most of her face from you, but she had her hand on the counter leaning into it like she was struggling to keep herself upright. They hadn’t noticed you yet, as Cordelia was watching her coffee swirl in her cup while she stirred it with her magic. You didn’t want to break the revelry, shatter the dense silence they had wrapped around them, but when you glanced at the microwave and saw it was just past noon, you gasped. Both heads snapped up at the sound, and within milliseconds Cordelia was off the bar stool and striding over to you, grabbing your face in both hands while you stared at her dumbly. She was all you could see, and she held you like that for what could have been an hour, or days, but was really more like just a few seconds. She looked so sad, and worried, it broke your heart. Wilhemina stood staunch still against the counter top, fingers wrapped tightly around the head of her cane as she watched the two of you. “Darling.” Cordelia whispered when she leaned down to press her forehead against yours, closing her eyes tightly. You were safe, right there in front of her, and that relaxed her if only a little.

A crease settled on your brow when she pulled back to look at you again, a bit more sternly this time. You were so confused. _How did I sleep this late? When did they get here? Why don’t I remember coming home last night?_ The thoughts raced through your head, and Cordelia could see the wheels turning over in your mind. “Why?” was all you could muster as you tried to mentally piece together the night before.

Her shoulders dropped dejectedly when you asked her that. You obviously didn’t know how worried the both of them had been when you never called her back last night, or how terrifying it was when she got a call that morning from Ashley saying you weren’t at work and weren’t answering your phone. You didn’t have any family in the city, so you had eventually put Delia down as your emergency contact at the restaurant. Cordelia’s hands slipped from your cheeks and to your shoulders, trying not to grip you too tightly despite the simmering cauldron of emotions threatening to spill out of her. “We came over when Ashley called and said you hadn’t shown up for work and weren’t answering your phone.” She took a steadying breath, “And you never called or texted me back last night. I thought you might’ve just forgotten. But when Ashley called...” You saw tears prick at her eyes, and she dropped her hands from your shoulders so she could wipe them away before they hit her cheeks. Righting herself, she looked at you again, and it was so severe it made you lean back uncomfortably. “You scared the hell out of us.”

What could you say? You didn’t remember leaving Dolmade, or even getting home. Sure, a few decent sized pours of whiskey would make anyone a little drunk, but not completely black out. And you were no lightweight. Something itched at the back of your mind, trying to claw its way into your memories, but you couldn’t grasp what it was. Did someone drug you? You didn’t recall ever leaving your drink on the bar alone, without at least Andre being right there watching your seat. Nothing was really making sense, but you knew you had to say at least something to the two women standing in your kitchen, looking at you like you were the biggest fuck-up on the planet. “I… Delia I’m so sorry. I really don’t know what happened.” You ran a hand across your face, but winced when your finger brushed along your hairline. There was a decent sized lump that was hiding there beneath your curls, and Cordelia didn’t miss the face you made. “I guess I must’a hit my head.” You shrugged. “I honestly don’t remember most of last night, but I didn’t drink that much. I had a few drinks with Ashley and the staff, but I wasn’t that drunk, I swear.”

Cordelia could see the way your eyes pleaded with her, and she wanted to address the bump on your head, but she was still upset. The vein in her neck that always jumped when she was angry, or turned on, pulsed rhythmically with her heartbeat as she stared down at you, wanting to believe that you didn’t remember anything. “You really don’t remember anything?”

“I find that highly doubtful.” Wilhemina spat, finally looking directly at you. She had been staring at the wall behind your head while Cordelia looked you over, incapable of forming words until now. You flinched at her tone, and Delia’s hand went down instinctively to hold yours, brushing her fingers over your knuckles. She knew Mina could be harsh, but it was just how she showed her love. “I’m sure if you try hard enough, little one, you can come up with a much better excuse for worrying Delia like that.” She was obviously also incredibly worried about you, judging by the way she was glued to her spot, rigid with fury; but also terror at the thought of you being hurt.

“Really, Mina, I promise. I don’t know how I even got home last night. The last thing I remember is leaving Ashley outside the pub and walking back to the restaurant, because I forgot my phone in the host stand.” You glanced at Cordelia sheepishly, and saw her lips set into a frown. “I couldn’t get the door open, so I teleported inside. After that, it’s all fuzzy.”

That was good enough for Delia, who wrapped her arms around you and pulled you tight against her chest. You buried your nose into her neck, letting yourself relax a little as she held you, running a shaky hand through your hair, comforting herself as much as she was trying to comfort you. But when you looked up over her shoulder, Wilhemina was still watching you skeptically, rooted to her spot across the kitchen. Your story didn’t make sense, and you knew it, but you truthfully had no more information to offer them. Cordelia let you wiggle out of her arms after another moment, and you walked quietly over to where Wilhemina was standing, upright and sturdy on her cane with both hands wrapped over the metal raven's head. She was watching you carefully, a crease set in her brow and her lips turned into a frown as you stood directly in front of her. You saw her chest rise and fall, and it looked like she was in pain as her jaw set tightly. Your chin dropped to your chest, a pang of guilt shooting right through you.

“Don’t scare me like that again, princess.” Wilhemina lifted your chin, gentle but firm, all the way up until you were looking at her again. Her voice was barely above a whisper, and you weren’t sure if you had actually heard her properly. Did she just willingly admit to her feelings? It didn’t fully count, but you’d take it. “Alright?” A bit louder.

“I’m sorry, Mina,” you whimpered, and your arms were wrapping around her waist before you could stop yourself. Tears fell freely, and to your surprise she let her cane drop to the ground to pull you closer to her with both hands. She let you hide your face in her chest as you cried. Delia was behind you both in seconds, picking up Mina’s cane for her as she ran a soothing hand across your back. You hiccuped pitifully, pulling back from Wilhemina’s chest so you could wipe at your face. “I’m so sorry..” You tried again, sniffling. “I really didn’t mean to worry you both.”

“We know, darling, it’s alright. We’ve got you, and you’re okay, that’s all that matters.” When Delia ran her hand through your hair again you winced when she hit the bump, and she pulled back quickly like she’d been burned. Wilhemina flashed her a disturbed look. “Well, mostly okay. You don’t remember how you hit your head?” You shook your head in response, and heard Mina sigh above you. That made the blonde frown, and she handed Wilhemina her cane back before moving around your kitchen to find something to help.

Moving out of Mina’s space, you braced yourself on the kitchen island and jumped up so you could sit and watch Delia rummage in your cabinets. “I should probably go get ready for work.” You mumbled, but made no real effort to do so as Mina took the stool next to where you were perched on the granite counter.

“Ashley said that Andre covered for you and that you wouldn’t need to come in at all today.” Cordelia answered absentmindedly as she found a few herbs and spices that she needed at the back of one of your cabinets.

_Well, that was nice of them,_ you thought, then turned and looked at Wilhemina, who was also watching Delia curiously. “Don’t you both have classes to be at?” It was the lunch hour right now, sure, but you had no idea how long they had been here waiting for you to wake up. So blunt when you hadn’t had coffee.

That made the redhead chuckle, although it wasn’t much of a humorous laugh. You tilted your head at her, with her secret-favorite-face; your lost puppy look. “Everything is taken care of, Y/N.” Wilhemina murmured.

Before you could counter, Cordelia was in your space, sliding herself between your knees so you couldn’t get away from her. She knew you hated the salve she made for cuts and bruises, it itched and smelled funny, but you were trapped now between an unyielding piece of stone and a smirking Cordelia, which was just as stubborn. You truthfully didn’t have much fight in you anyway, there was still alcohol doing flips in your stomach and a piercing headache thrumming through your brain. The salve would probably do your head wonders. You pushed your hairline back for her, holding your curls up so the blonde could gently dab it across the bump. Mina’s hand was in yours, running her thumb across your knuckles whenever you winced. When she was done, Delia pecked you on the cheek, lingering for a second to close her eyes and just be next to you. She was still upset, and the leftover adrenaline still had her heart racing. You giggled at the way her breath tickled your skin, and nudged your nose sweetly against her warm cheek. “I’m just so glad you’re okay, my darling.” Delia sighed.

_________________

Eventually you got your cup of coffee, and drank enough water to drown in. Delia made you eat some toast, but your stomach was still doing acrobatics from both the whiskey and what you noticed when you looked on the ground in your entryway, were an almost empty pack of cigarettes. _So gross_ , you thought, feeling sick again at just the thought of inhaling that much nicotine. _What did I do last night?!_ , your brain screamed. When you got back to work, you were going to figure it the hell out.

With your teeth brushed and a t-shirt thrown on, you were at least starting to feel a little bit better. Perched on the island counter top again, you were swinging your legs playfully next to Wilhemina as she folded to a new section of the newspaper. Close enough to her that your practically-naked lower half was in her line of sight as she read. _She must have brought that with her. Typical Mina_ , you giggled to yourself. The unprompted noise made Mina look up at you questioningly, and you definitely noticed the way her eyes darted to your barely-covered thighs flexing each time you swung them.

“Why do you have such an aversion to chairs?” She asked, as serious as ever. You smirked at her, trying to hold back a laugh.

“I think it’s more of an inclination to try for your constant attention, rather than an aversion to chairs themselves.” You said, trying to be just as serious, but failing epically. You were grinning stupidly at her.

Wilhemina’s brow furrowed, and she looked like she was actually considering your answer, before she deadpanned, “You really are an idiot.”

Now you were laughing, holding the edges of the counter as you swung your head back. That even got a smirk from Wilhemina. “Yeah, but I’m your idiot.” You lowered your voice, coming back up for air so you could look at her more seriously. The knowing look you threw her as you bit your lip made her skin tingle.

Before Mina could rebut, Delia was walking back in from your bedroom where she had gone to make a phone call. “Alright, my loves. What are we going to do with our day off?”

Your eyes went wide. “Wait, the whole day?” Cordelia was already nodding, and Wilhemina was smirking up at you as you looked between them.

“Mhm. Our classes are taken care of. Which means you’re all ours. And I think we need to have a little chat before we have any fun.” Delia’s voice dropped an octave, and you visibly shivered. Neither of them missed it. Mina glanced up at Cordelia, who gave her a knowing look. They had a bit of a plan in place, mostly conceived this morning. After what happened, they both felt it would be best if you moved in once your lease was up, but they knew you would have an opinion on the matter. You always did about everything. Delia wanted to gently encourage you to move into the academy, but she knew if you felt pressured you would probably end up saying no.

Cordelia moved to stand next to Mina, reaching down and threading their fingers together as her eyes closed. She wanted to say the right thing so you didn’t get defensive too soon. Mina squeezed her hand, looking up at her and whispering encouragingly, “It’s alright, sweetheart.” Your heart melted as you watched them, but worry pooled in the pit of your stomach. It didn’t seem like this was going to be a fun chat.

When Delia still hadn’t spoken, Mina turned and looked at you pointedly. She thought maybe you just needed a little push. “We think it would be best if you moved in with us, Y/N.” Cordelia’s eyes flew open, but Mina kept talking. “I know how independent you are, and we don’t want to take that from you. But if last night is anything to go off of, it wouldn’t be such a bad thing if we were able to keep a little better eye on you.”

Silence hung, and you were looking down at your lap as if you had never seen a single freckle on your own skin before. It made sense, what Wilhemina was saying. You lived alone, no family around to watch out for you, and if stuff like last night was going to happen, maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea. _But having your own space, your own life, you love it. You don’t have to rely on anyone,_ your brain reasoned, perrying your original thoughts.

“Would it?” Mina asked, when she saw your mind was obviously racing a million miles a minute.

Looking up at her, she saw how conflicted you were, and it made her chest ache like she’d been hollowed out. Delia was already ready for you to reject their offer, and play it off as nothing serious. But you took a deep breath and shook your head gently. “No, it wouldn’t be a bad thing.” They tried not to look as surprised as they were, but when you smiled and reached for their clasped hands, they knew you knew. “But…” Delia’s face fell again. “Can I just have some time to think about it?”

All of a sudden you were being wrapped up in a hug, Delia’s arms squeezing your waist tightly as she nuzzled into your neck and settled between your legs. “Take all the time you need, baby.” The affection made you blush and hide yourself in her soft hair as she started to pepper light kisses over your chin.

“Well, don’t take too long, little one.” Mina quipped, and you managed to pull yourself away from Delia’s assault on your neck to look over at her. She was watching the both of you with quite a bit of curiosity. You leaned over Delia’s arm and brushed your lips across Mina’s cheek sweetly, trying to get her to finally smile. It took a few kisses, and a whimpered ‘Mina’ before she finally gave in and smirked at you. Mina gripped your chin and brought you into a devouring kiss, and the pressure of her lips on yours had you moaning pitifully. “Needy little thing, aren’t you?” She husked.

Delia was back to attacking your neck, sloppy kisses trailing under your ear and down your jaw. You whined, squirming on the counter top as she slid her hands down to your thighs to keep you still and, most importantly, pressed against her. Your heels hooked together at her back, pulling her into you as close as you could. “Please.” You sighed into the air as you threw your head back, giving her all the access she could want to your skin. Mina’s cane tapped somewhere behind you as she walked towards your bedroom. You hadn’t seen the look your girlfriends shared, all lust and desire shining in their eyes as Mina walked away.

Suddenly you were being pulled off the counter, perfectly manicured nails digging possessively into your ass as she picked you up. You threw your arms over her shoulders with a giggle, tightening your legs around her waist. Cordelia walked you down the hall, murmuring sweet nothings in your ear while you kissed and licked at her neck, little whines drifting down the hall with you. When she was in front of the bed, she playfully dropped you on the edge, watching you bounce. Delia turned to find Wilhemina, who was taking off her rings and placing them on your dresser. Just watching her do that made your mouth water, and you knew what it meant. Another needy whine. Delia looked down at you and gave you a predatory grin. “What’s wrong, my darling?” She mocked.

“I think our little princess knows exactly what she’s gotten herself into, Delia.” Mina bantered, sauntering over to stand in front of you. You loved the way her cane echoed in your room, bouncing off your high ceilings, hypnotizing you. Delia sat next to you on the bed, running a tender knuckle across your cheek and smiling at you coyly. They were obviously ganging up on you, thick as thieves they were. When you gave Mina a confused head tilt, she chuckled, “You’re bright, little one, you’ll figure it out. Now, lie across Delia’s lap.” No room for argument there. But you hesitated, and the impatient crack of her cane had you scrambling across Cordelia’s thighs quickly. The blonde wrapped her fingers deeply into your hair, right at the base of your neck, and pulled you forward on her lap until your toes only-just grazed the floor. You turned your face into the bed and whimpered.

“I hope you didn’t think you were somehow getting away without a punishment, darling.” Cordelia’s lips were on your ear, making you shiver. “We’re very glad you’re safe, but you still lied to us, and that is definitely against the rules.” Her tone verged on teasing, but she was still very serious about your offense.

“I didn’t lie!” You squeaked, squirming on her lap and earning a swat to your left asscheek from Wilhemina.

“You withheld information. We didn’t know you were going out drinking, because you never answered my texts. You didn’t do as I asked, which was to let me know where you would be so I knew you were safe. Sounds just about like lying to me.”

You couldn’t argue with that. Somehow you never noticed that you hadn’t brought your phone with you to the pub last night. But you weren’t glued to it, and you had been so tired already. None of these sounded like decent enough excuses to say out loud though. “‘M’sorry…” You whimpered into the sheets. Rough hands ripped down your underwear, leaving them bunched at your knees as you squirmed. Wilhemina’s hand came down against your bare ass hard.

“What was that, princess?” She growled, landing another slap right between your asscheeks. Delia was holding you in place with one arm draped across your back, and her other hand picked your head up off the mattress as you cried out in pain. Wilhemina drug her nails across your skin, admiring her handprint as it blossomed across your cheeks.

Squirming would only make it worse, you knew that, but you couldn’t help it with the way she was playing with you like that. Your shoulders rolled and you tried to keep still when she spanked you again for not answering her. “I.. I’m sorry for lying, Delia.” You sounded a little more confident, but your voice still shook.

That earned you a hum of approval from above you, and the hand yanking your head back relaxed just a little. “That’s my good girl. Thank you for the apology, sweetheart.” Delia’s voice was sugar and you had a wicked sweet tooth. Your belly coiled tightly and you knew that you had to be visibly wet by now, exposed for her and Mina to see. “Now, how about you count nice and loud for Mina, hmm?” Again, liquid honey, warm and dripping down your spine and between your legs, she really knew how to make you melt with just her voice.

A firm hand swung down, right on your sit-spot, and you yelped. “One!” Another followed, right over your pussy, and the sound you made was something between a cry of pain and moan of delight. “Two.” You squeaked, toes curling to make what little purchase on the floor this position would allow. You could hear Wilhemina laughing at you. “Three!” You whined, she had slapped your now soaking cunt again. The look Mina shared with Delia could have set you on fire. Delia was biting down on her lower lip so hard it should’ve drawn blood, and her eyes were blown wide with lust. They loved to be the reason you came so completely undone.

“Fifteen!” You screamed, though it was laced with a groan of desire. Mina had focused mostly on spanking your pussy, only peppering in other spots now and then. She knew how wet it made you, which was exactly what she wanted. When your head hit the mattress again, she tapped her cane harshly against the floorboards.

“Get up.” She snapped, smirking at the way your knees shook while you pulled yourself off Delia’s lap as quickly as you could. “Take a seat, hands under your thighs.” She motioned with the head of her cane to the plush loveseat that sat under the window across from your bed. You looked at her strangely, making no move to do as you were told. She cracked her cane against the floor twice, taking quite a bit of pleasure in the way you visibly jumped. “Did I stutter?”

“No, Ms. Venable.” You moved quick-as-lightning to the loveseat, sitting down on your hands like she had told you to. It was a little awkward, and you felt rather exposed with no underwear on and just a t-shirt. Exactly as she preferred you. Mina looked down at Cordelia and smiled, giving the blonde all of her attention now. She leaned down, capturing Delia in a bruising kiss that made them both moan softly. You couldn’t help but bite your lip, your girlfriends were incredibly sexy.

Then Mina was tangling her fingers in Delia’s hair and pulling her to her feet, not as demanding as she was with you, but still in charge. Mina sat down where Delia had been, and it didn’t take Cordelia more than a second before she figured it out.

The flared slacks she was wearing today pooled at Mina’s feet as Delia knelt down, starting to hike up the redhead’s skirt. Her fingers grazed Mina’s inner calf, then slowly pushed the violet fabric up her thighs and to her waist. Slack jawed, you watched as Mina tangled her hands lightly in Cordelia’s blonde tresses, and your eyes were glued to the way Delia was nibbling at the pale skin at the top of Mina’s thigh. “You’re going to watch.” Mina sounded breathy as she caught your attention, “And you’re not going to touch yourself. That filthy little cunt belongs to me, and if you disobey me, I will spank you again.” She heard you whine, and the sound mixed with the way Delia was sucking a hickey into her skin made her eyes slide shut momentarily; that was delightful. “And you will enjoy that spanking much less, little one.” Mina groaned as Delia finally pressed her lips against her aching clit.

_This is probably what my personal hell looks like. Or heaven,_ you thought, squirming uncomfortably on your hands. You were definitely going to make a mess of the fabric on the loveseat, you could feel how sticky your inner thighs were. To make it worse, the sinful way Delia was dragging Wilhemina’s black lace underwear down her thighs with her teeth almost made you come right then. Maybe you could grind your pussy against the cushion for a little relief, and your hips twitched at just the thought. You pressed your ass down as hard as you could, feeling your clit graze the soft fabric, and it made you whimper.

“Stay still.” Mina barked, but it held none of her usual authority. And that was because Delia had grips on both her thighs, and was punishing Mina’s clit with her tongue devastatingly well. “Such a desperate slut, you can’t even help but grind your needy little pussy against anything you can reach.” You blushed a deep crimson, and your moan confirmed what she already knew. It was true, you were absolutely desperate right now.

A little shudder ran through Wilhemina, and you watched in a lust-fueled daze as her eyes fluttered shut. Whatever Delia was doing to her was definitely working, but you had a few ideas. Mina let out a low groan, gravelly and long when Delia pushed two fingers into her slowly. Your chest was heaving, and your fingers twitched incessantly under your thighs; it was almost ridiculous how worked up they could get you without even touching you. Cordelia pumped her fingers into Mina slowly at first, keeping up the assaulting pace she had on her clit. “That’s it, sweetheart.” Mina cooed, gripping Delia’s hair tighter. Her hips started to raise off the bed in time with each thrust of Delia’s fingers.

“Mina, please.” You whimpered. It was pathetic and needy and you didn’t even care, this was torture. You wanted to touch them, wanted them to touch you. But now you were just starved of any of it. It was worse than a spanking. But that was the whole point, and you were quickly beginning to realize that _this_ was the actual punishment. Showing you what you had missed, what you could have had if you had been a good girl. _Took ya long enough._

“I’ve heard enough from you.” Wilhemina growled, but it was so distracted you weren’t sure she had been the one to say it. Her eyes were closed, one arm propping herself up on the bed while the other held Delia’s face against her as hard as she could. Delia was moaning into Mina’s cunt, hungrily lapping at her clit as she pumped her fingers into her over and over. Mina was definitely close. Then all of a sudden her head was thrown back, and her moan stuck in her throat as she tried not to scream. But you saw how her legs shook, and the smug grin Delia tried to hide as she licked up every bit of Mina’s wetness. You found yourself trembling as well, and your fingers were definitely starting to go numb.

After a moment of collecting herself, Mina reached down and pulled Delia up to her, gripping the blonde’s waist possessively as she leaned down for a hungry kiss. You licked your lips, wishing you were the one kissing Mina’s juices from Cordelia’s tongue. They paid you no mind as you squirmed, but when you whined at them again Mina finally turned her gaze to you. She stood up slowly, and Delia handed her her cane so she could saunter towards you.

“Up you go, little one, we have a whole day ahead of us still.” She smiled at you, innocence playing in her tone. You looked at her dumbly. That certainly wasn’t fair. “What, did you think I was going to let you come? Rewards are for good girls, and you certainly haven’t been good, princess.” It was said so matter of factly you couldn’t protest, unless you wanted to be punished again. Wilhemina raised an expectant eyebrow at you when you hadn’t stood up.

Pulling your hands out from under your thighs, you flexed them a few times to try and get the blood flowing once more. You stood, and saw both Delia and Mina give you a blatant once over, from your flushed cheeks and neck to your entirely bare lower half, your arousal smeared across your upper thighs. You looked quite disheveled- just the way they liked you. You bit your lip nervously, feeling small under their gazes. Finally, Cordelia had mercy on you, walking over and taking your hand gently. “Come on, baby, we’ll put something comfy on and have some lunch.” She leaned down and kissed your nose sweetly. That sounded good to you, so you let her lead the way.

_______________

The ball sped ahead of you as you dribbled it across the lawn, giggling as you ran. Cordelia was hot on your heels, and in a last ditch effort you kicked the soccer ball hard at the net, collapsing onto the ground like you were in pain when you missed by at least three feet. It was a kids practice net, but it was the only thing that fit in your small backyard. “Nooooo.” You cried, and Cordelia jogged up to stand over you where you had dramatically fallen over, smirking as you rolled around. The pony tail she had put her hair in when you had begged her to play with you hung beautifully across her shoulder. “That would have gone in if this was a regulation net.” You stated, taking Cordelia’s offered hand and pulling yourself up to stand again. She just shook her head at you.

“You would have been too winded to get it across a regulation field though.” She teased, walking over and picking up the ball from where it rolled into the bushes.

Now and then, when your girlfriends were feeling particularly domestic, the three of you would sit outside together and talk and enjoy some alone time away from the academy. _That is a pro of living on my own_ , you reminded yourself. You would inevitably convince Cordelia to play soccer with you, and now and then Wilhemina would referee. Today was not one of those days. Mina sat in the shade under your back porch, watching comfortably from an adirondack chair. You had to admit, as Cordelia dribbled the ball past you and kicked it dead center into the net, she looked pretty good in your athletic shorts while doing it. You wandered up to the porch, sitting down on the arm of Wilhemina’s chair when you saw that Delia had found a few wilting plants to tend to. Your head was still a little fuzzy from whatever you had done to it. But you knew exactly what could help with that.

Leaning down, you nudged Mina’s shoulder playfully. When you didn’t get the response you wanted, you simply dangled the joint you had conjured from your bedroom in front of her face, laughing when she looked up at you quizzically. “It’s our day off. And my head still hurts a little.” You clarified. She simply responded with a raise of one perfectly sculpted red eyebrow, and a shrug.

“As long as you share.”

You giggled, and pressed the joint between your lips, using your powers to spark it. It tasted delicious; citrusy and earthy, with a hint of lavender. Sometimes you rolled herbs into your joints. Mina wasn’t much of a smoker, or drinker, but she did enjoy the way weed eased her back pain when it got unbearable. But one other thing she had learned to enjoy from it, was when you brought your lips to hers, and she could breath in the smoke from your mouth. _Shotgunning_ , you had called it. It made the smoke a little easier to handle, and she liked that taking your breath away was part of the trick.

Taking a long drag from the joint, you leaned down in front of Mina, and she met you happily with a lazy kiss. You opened your lips for her, and smiled into the kiss as she inhaled the smoke past your tongue. When you pulled back, her cheeks were a lovely shade of crimson, and it made your skin tingle watching her exhale the smoke into the air. This woman was incredible, you decided. But you knew that already. You were about to be cheesy and tell her as much when you heard Delia throw you both an annoyed ‘Hey!’ from the yard.

“Save some for me!” She called, and you both laughed, already feeling a little high.

How did you get so lucky?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YOU CANNOT CONVINCE ME DELIA IS NOT A SPORTY BI 
> 
> she absolutely played tall girl sports in high school like soccer and volleyball and tennis and no i do not take criticism on this opinion.  
> welp theres that hope you liked it! come say hi on tumblr if you want, I think im gonna start uploading stuff there? maybe need some prompt ideas, cause i'll be bored once this is done @unholyregalia


	5. Hidden

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for how long it's taken to update, life has gotten the better of me. This is just an in-between chapter; i promise i'm still alive! 
> 
> more to come next time, we'll get into the nitty gritty

_A firm hand gripped your elbow, steadying you as you leaned lazily into Dolmade’s front door once you’d teleported yourself back outside. Whipping your head around, eyes flashing violent and ready to attack, you saw Jax jump away from you in surprise. “Whoa there, partner, I was just tryin’ to be helpful,” he drawled, putting his hands up in mock defense. “You were lookin’ a bit wobbly.”_

_Eyeing Jax up and down, and noticing that he had changed outfits from that morning, you tucked your hands in your jacket pockets. “I don’t need your help, Mr. Strife. Where’d you come from, anyway?” You asked skeptically. The New Orleans summer night had your hair sticking to your forehead uncomfortably, and you were more than ready to catch a shower and fall into bed. Hearing the tinge of a slur in your tone, you hoped Jax hadn’t picked up on it and your sober attitude was being taken seriously. The smirk he sent you proved you wrong rather quickly._

_Jax reached behind himself and into his back pocket, producing a glass pint bottle of brown liquid you immediately recognized. A bead of sweat trickled down his neck and under the crew-hem of his t-shirt, which clung to him the same way your blazer was currently plastered to your back._ Couldn’t he just leave you be? _“Followed you from the bar,” he stated plainly, uncapping the bottle and taking a long swig before holding it out to you in an offering. When you scowled at him in response, Jax simply shrugged, took another sip, then stowed the bottle back in his pocket. “We’ve got somethin’ important to discuss.”_

_“I doubt it’s so important you can’t send it in an email, Mr. Strife,” you snapped, stalking forward and brushing past Jax, who let you shoulder him out of your way without much resistance. “I need to get home.”_

_“Right, runnin’ along back to the Supreme and your powerless, red-headed pet.” His words hit you like a tonne of bricks, and before you could stop yourself, or even realize what was happening, the ground began to shake and rumble beneath you both. “What the fuck!” Jax yelled as a massive crack in the sidewalk burst between his feet, forcing him into an uncoordinated iteration of the splits._

_“Who and what the hell are you?” Before he could stand up properly, you were on Jax, gripping his shirt in your fist as you forced him lower in the painful stance. Although you were pretty good at controlling your powers, your “gift” was causing earthquakes that erupted with your mood, especially when you were angry. And Jax had managed to hit your biggest button. When he just stared back at you in a mixture and fear and astonishment, you bellowed, “Answer me!” The ground shook violently beneath him and he saw your eyes flash a terrifying shade of blood-red. The energy pouring off of you caused your whole body to vibrate, and with how tightly you were holding Jax’s shirt, he could feel the powerful currents you were pushing into the earth. Ripples of residual energy made the pebbles at your feet dance and fly as you glared down at him._

_Jax finally found his voice, and gulped out, “I-I swear my name is Jax Strife. I’m a warlock, that’s how I know ‘bout’cha. I got-” you cut him off when you pushed him to the ground, landing him on his back awkwardly over the crack you’d made in the concrete._

_Hearing the agonized moan Jax let out brought you back to yourself, and you could see more clearly that you were actually holding him by the throat, no longer by his shirt, and had bent him backwards, inverting his knees at an unnatural angle. You let go in shock, scrambling up and away from him before you backed into Dolmade’s front door._

Something calm and delicate was tugging at you, calling you out from the dream you were scrambling to plunge back into. It was warm, and sounded like the humming one would hear when you close your eyes and listen to the forest talking. You grasped weakly at the wisps of the dream, still shivering with tension from seeing the damage you did to Jax and the sidewalk, respectively. Another gentle pull and the dream washed past your vision, and you could almost see the morning sun through the curtains it was so bright. Smelling something like honeysuckle and fresh earth, your eyes fluttered open fully. 

Cordelia had her nose pressed into your hair, and her palm cupped your cheek protectively. “It’s alright, darling, I’m right here,” she murmured sweetly. Most of the tension started to leave your aching muscles, and you noticed you were pressed fully against Delia’s chest in her bed. Her other hand was wrapped firmly around both of your wrists and was holding you against her like you’d been fighting to get away from her. 

“Delia?” you whispered, moving your head back to try and look up at her. 

Immediately her grip on your wrists eased, and Cordelia pulled back just enough so she could lean down and hold your face between her hands carefully. “Sweetheart.” She sounded almost breathless, and the amber in her eyes sparkled wildly while she looked you over, as if her simmering magic might burst from the golden cracks in her irises. “What was that? What happened?” 

_Well, fuck. Your guess is as good as mine._ Your thoughts raced, and Cordelia let you sit up and against the headboard once she had decided you looked physically okay. “I really don’t know. It was just a dream, I think.” It was the only answer that came to mind. Because Delia had pulled you from the dream, you didn’t get to hear what Jax had to say, and you weren’t sure you were ready to tell her what you were starting to piece together about the night before. Little flashes here and there had come back to you, but nothing was making sense thus far with only fragments. Having even a partial dream memory could at least get you on the right path now. 

“That doesn’t really explain the earthquake you caused. Well, at least it shouldn’t.” Cordelia seemed deadly serious, but you only remembered causing a quake in your dream. There was no way you caused it outside of your dream too, you weren’t that powerful. “Were you dreaming about earthquakes?” She asked, a more teasing tone in her voice now as she leaned down and kissed the tip of your nose. Delia was well aware of your gift, but she had never known you to be able to produce such a destructive quake, especially in your sleep. Several large bookcases in different rooms fell over, and Wilhemina’s lamp tipped off her desk and shattered across her office floor. A sinkhole had opened up in the backyard near the gazebo, and it took Zoe’s help to fix it before the students saw. 

Every part of you screamed to tell the truth, to tell her all about the dream, but Delia was already brimming with anxiety from the other night. Flitting around you at dinner, making you a plate despite your protests that you could do it yourself. You knew it comforted her when she was allowed to take care of you. But without all the information, it would just be worrying her unnecessarily, you decided. 

Flashing her a sheepish look, you rolled away from Delia and off the bed. Stretching your sore muscles felt nice after the tension the nightmare put your body through. “Maybe I was trying to protect you and Mina from the rock monsters again,” you offered with a shrug. So perhaps you had caused a quake in your sleep once or twice from having adventurous dreams of saving your girlfriends from monsters and mayhem, but you never so much as knocked over more than a glass of water as far as you knew. You hoped Delia would buy your little white lie. “Sorry, Delia. I’ll help clean up whatever mess I made before my brunch shift.”

Heading towards the bathroom for a shower, you could hear her stand and follow quickly behind you. The tap turned on and it drowned out the noise thrumming through your head if only for a moment. There was too much to think about, too much to plan for, and figuring out who and what Jax Strife was had to be at the top of the list now. Cordelia leaned against the bathroom door frame, watching you curiously, and the way she had her eyes on you made your skin crawl. You knew she knew something was up, but she was letting you get away with it. And that just made the guilt burrow a hole deeper into the center of your chest. When you stepped into the shower, you turned around to throw her a warm, genuine smile, hoping it reached your eyes. Delia visibly softened her gaze, and bit her lower lip as she returned your smile. “I love you,” she said before pushing off the door frame and wandering away. She had Academy errands to run with Mina, their weekly Saturday ritual. 

“I love you too…” You sighed before pushing your head under the water to soak for a bit. 

Another decision you had come to was to perform a modified memory spell in the hopes of retrieving the bits of the dream, or reality, you supposed, that continued to evade you. The only problem was spellcasting certainly wasn’t your strong suit, and you didn’t trust any of the other girls with your secret. You knew they wouldn’t be able to hide anything from Cordelia, let alone Willhemina, so you would have to be extra careful trying to enact this spell. Zoe or Mallory could help, but you didn’t want to get them in trouble for helping you if things went south, so you were just going to have to wing it. 

_______________

The lock clicked loudly, sticking hard in place as you jiggled the keys in Dolmade’s front door. You huffed. Flicked your wrist backwards, then quickly threw it forward to sneak up on the lock. Magically, it worked. With a triumphant smile, you slid inside the dark restaurant, locking the door behind you. In the early hours, when even the prep cooks weren’t there yet, this was your favorite place to be. It smelled like fresh dough and whatever flowers Andre had brought in from his garden that week. _Tranquil,_ you decided, tinkering around the server station to start a pot of coffee.

With the place empty, it was the perfect time for you to review the security tapes from the other night. Two days off helped clear your mind and gave you some time to gather what you needed for your spell. But, there was still hope the security tapes could answer at least what happened to your head, and if you had inflicted any lasting damage to Jax. Andre and Jane probably wouldn’t be thrilled if this guy turned up missing when he was so heavily involved in the event. Grabbing a mug of coffee, you made your way to the basement to review the tapes.

Flickering fluorescent lights greeted you in the office, and the consistent squeak of the chair offered the only noise other than the hum of the walk-in fridge. You clicked through the security footage files, and quickly found what you were looking for. Cameras were situated at the back and front of the restaurant, and not well you noticed as you watched only just the top of Ashley’s head at the bottom of the screen bouncing around. The back row of tables weren’t visible, the angle of the camera had obviously been moved, which required management codes to do. Someone had moved them within the last month, and it hadn’t been you, since you were the last one to calibrate them almost exactly a month before. Ashley had been texting at the server station during rush and you moved the cameras to catch her in the act, if only so you could tease her about it. _Andre wouldn’t move them, he has no reason to,_ you thought. _Maybe one of the owners came by and messed with them._

You fast-forwarded the tape to well after Dolmade was shut down, close to when you thought you might’ve left the bar. After a minute of watching, you saw a tiny version of yourself on screen appear suddenly at the host stand. You watched as you found your phone, scrolled through it for a moment, face-palmed and disappeared outside. Clearly you’d read the missed text and seen the missed calls from your girlfriends. When you zoomed the tape in to see through the front window, all you could make out were your own shoes, and the bottoms of Jax’s pants. The angle of the camera cut off almost perfectly to hide the rest of you off-screen. “Fuck,” you growled, slamming a hand down on the rickety old desk. The other camera would be of no use, it was pointed towards the dining room just above the front door. You didn’t need to watch the rest of the tape to know what happened; that dream hadn’t been a dream, it was a piece of your memory. But maybe you could see what direction you went after you opened the earth beneath that dumb cowboy. The audio rumbled when your earthquake hit, loud and strong enough to shake the pictures on the restaurant’s walls. Then, you watched as your shoes and Jax’s pants headed east, away from Dolmade, the pub, and in the wrong direction to get to your house. _Where the hell did we end up? And was I the one who fixed the sidewalk?_ It had looked perfectly paved when you showed up that morning. 

“Hey, your majesty, you down there?” Andre’s voice echoing down the basement stairs pulled you from your thoughts. 

Quickly, you cleared the footage from that night, and set the camera angle back to where it should have been. “Yeah, I’m here, ‘Dre, be up in a minute!” You called back, taking one last look at the live footage as if something you’d missed might appear out of thin air. Finally, you pulled yourself away and headed upstairs to start the brunch shift. Ashley and Justine were already there, to your mild surprise, and were, even more amazingly, working together to set up the dining room. Usually, Ashley would pull rank and do the easiest jobs and serve the best sections and leave Justine to pick up all her slack, but you hoped this meant your constant reprimanding of her attitude was starting to sink in. When they saw you reach the top of the stairs, both girls dropped the silverware they were setting and almost tackled you to the floor. 

“You’re okay!” Ashley squeaked in your ear as she held your neck in a sideways headlock while Justine hugged you from behind. “I seriously thought I was never gonna see you again,” she said in a huff of excitement. 

Rolling your eyes, you managed to peel both of them off of you and take a step back into your own space. “A bit dramatic, huh, Ash?” You asked, smirking at her when she pouted at you. “Yes, I’m perfectly fine, thank you,” you clarified. “And if it’s alright with you both, I’d like to make it through this shift without talking about the other night. Do you think we can handle that?” The tone in your voice made it clear it wasn’t a question, but you had a benevolent reputation to uphold. Both girls nodded and went back to their side work, leaving you to your post at the host stand to look over the day’s reservations. When Ashley passed you, you stepped in front of her path, leaving Justine to go back to setting up. “Seriously, Ash, thank you. They were really worried,” you said quietly, giving her your most sincere smile. 

The blush that crept up Ashley’s cheeks made you want to tease her, but she had done good by you, it wasn’t entirely fair. “Yeah, yeah, don’t mention it. You still owe me a pack of cigarettes.” She said with a flick of her hair over her shoulder, smiling slyly as she walked away. 

The shift went well, as it usually did with your A-Team present. One spilled glass of wine was all you could recall going wrong, and you were certainly thankful for that. You’d spent most of the rush a million miles away, thinking about how you were going to get away with the spell and what you were going to do about hiding from your girlfriends. At one point the new host even offered to take over fully, she could see the lost look in your eyes as you performed almost robotically, like your muscle memory kicked in when your mind was elsewhere. At least you didn't have to close. This day had already been too long, it felt like you had been awake a full 24 hours already. 

When you walked into the kitchen after the lunch rush, Andre was talking with a few line cooks, waving his fancy metal chopsticks around as he spoke. He had a new dish he wanted to add to the upcoming event, and you peered over his shoulder to see what it was. Bright purple caught your eye, a long and perfectly charred octopus tentacle sat curled on itself over a bed of arugula and what looked like some type of tapenade. “Do you wanna try, Y/N?” Andre asked, his sweet hazel eyes sparkling with excitement. “I tweaked the vinaigrette, I think you’re really gonna like it.” How could you say no now?

“Of course,” you said, nowhere near as enthusiastically. But to your delight, it tasted incredible. The improved vinaigrette cut through the creamy texture of the octopus, and the peppers and capers in the tapenade paired wonderfully with the crunch of fresh arugula. “Dre, this is really great,” you sighed, mouth still half-full. “It’s going to go so well with that white from Austria during the third course.” At least you sounded a little more excited this time. 

A line cook high fived Andre, who was smiling at you triumphantly. “Hell yeah! I knew all it needed was a little more lemon and pepper. When Jax comes by later I’ll tell him we’re bumping his dish to the fourth course. I’ll just let him add another side to the second course if he complains.” Andre was looking smug with himself, and didn’t notice your face flush of almost all its color. 

“Jax is coming by today?” You choked out. 

“Yeah in about an hour,” Andre replied, going back to stirring the mirepoix that was making the kitchen smell so wonderful at the moment. “Why?” He looked up at you quizzically. 

“No reason,” you blurted, turning on your heel towards the dining room. “I’m heading home, lunch reports are already in the POS. Have a good close!” You called, already sprinting down the basement steps before anyone could see you. 

Reaching the office and slamming the door, you collapsed into the chair with a loud sigh. The basement was humid, and running down the stairs didn’t help with the way your blazer stuck to your sweaty skin. _Why didn’t anyone think to tell me he was coming by today? Thanks, Dre,_ you growled to yourself. _I can’t see him yet, what if something happens and I lose control? No, I need to get out of here._

“Right now,” you told yourself. Taking a deep breath, you stood up and concentrated on the Academy steps, the menacing iron gates and looming front door. Cordelia and Wilhemina sitting in the back garden reading together, the girls coming or going from class. All of a sudden you felt direct sunlight hit the back of your neck, and opening your eyes you could see you were standing in front of the Academy’s front gates. 

This place never fully felt like home even while you lived here, but knowing your girlfriends were waiting for you on the other side of the door was the closest you had come to what home _should_ feel like. Well, at least you figured as much. Your apartment was comfortable, and you’d made it your own, but it didn’t hold the same sense of love that you felt when you were at the Academy. The gate creaked on its hinges as you pushed it open, taking your time walking up the front porch steps. Every footfall felt like you were walking through molasses, and the air hung thick, smelling of overripe fruit and southern magnolias. Summer was in full swing in New Orleans, and though it was your least favorite season, you took a deep breath of the syrupy sweet air, closing your eyes to the light of the sun on your cheeks. Cordelia loved this time of year, so you found yourself trying to enjoy it on your own, if only to understand why she liked being sweaty and hot all the time. 

“All the most beautiful flowers bloom in the summer,” Cordelia said, breaking you from your revelry. Your eyes popped open to find her standing at the top step, hands crossed in front of herself as always, over a beautiful floral-print dress. Normally, Delia tried to stay out of yours and Mina’s heads, but she did mention once or twice how loud you were prone to thinking. It wasn’t necessarily clairvoyance, at least Cordelia didn’t think so, but something about your connection with her allowed her to hear you both, even if you were across town.

She was watching you with the most adoring look in her eyes, hardly a trace of the worry that plagued her this morning. “I’m glad you’re home, we missed you today,” she sang at you, a teasing lilt in her tone. That had you grinning, and for a moment the weight of the world was someone else’s problem. “But now that you’re home, you’re ours for the rest of the day,” she said decidedly. 

You trotted up the front steps, stopping just in front of Cordelia so that she had to lean down to kiss you sweetly on the forehead. “I missed you too,” you murmured, knowing you couldn’t hide the blush on your cheeks. She took your hand, lacing her long, delicate fingers with yours and pulled you inside. Whenever Delia held your hand, it felt like you were floating in the middle of an electrical storm; the power that poured off of her could almost knock you off your feet sometimes. _I wonder if Wilhemina can feel it too?_ You thought to yourself as she led you up the stairs towards her bedroom. 

“She told me once that, the first time we kissed, it felt as though lightning passed through every nerve in her body and left her buzzing with the aftershocks,” Cordelia said, turning to look at you before opening the bedroom door. She saw the bewildered look on your face and smirked. “You’re thinking rather loudly today, my darling.” 

You’d need to work on that. “I just can’t believe Mina would admit that to you,” you countered. Delia laughed and pushed the door open, revealing Wilhemina looking pristine as ever, reading by the window in her favorite chair. She didn’t look up as you both entered, Delia behind you and grasping at your waist playfully, but did smile faintly as you both giggled. “Mina, why don’t you ever say sappy things to me like you do Delia?” You asked her as you approached, leaning over and into her space, effectively blocking her view of the page she was reading. 

Wilhelmina raised a brow, setting her book down in her lap as she gently pushed you by the forehead out of her space. “When have you done something to warrant it?” She asked lazily, watching you with her signature steely gaze. But you could see the playfulness twitching at the corners of her mouth, and the way her nostrils flared like they always did when she was excited. Cordelia snickered behind you as she shuffled through a few documents on her bedside table. Biting your lip at Wilhemina, you tilted your head to the side and tried your most innocent face. “Oh, stop that lost puppy look and come down here. You haven’t kissed me all day,” she purred the last part, and it made you shiver. 

Leaning back down over her, you stopped with your nose just barely pressed to Mina’s. “Have you done something to warrant a kiss?” You asked, barely above a whisper. Dangerous and uncharted territory you were wading into, but you’d said it, and there was no taking it back. Then a firm and unrelenting hand was in your hair, pulling you down and crashing your lips into Wilhemina’s. Both hands shot out to hold yourself up on the arms of her chair as Mina kissed you, teasing her tongue along your lower lip. When her teeth grazed your soft skin you moaned, and felt, more than heard, the satisfied growl at the back of her throat. 

“You do make the cutest noises,” Mina murmured when she finally let you pull away. 

If one thing was for certain, they were both very good at distracting you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i missed this work so much! again so sorry for how long it has taken to update. It'll get rolling again now that i've caught some momentum. thanks for sticking with me :)


	6. Child of the Mountain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Well... here we go

A hurried, almost annoyed rap sounded on the heavy wooden door that you were currently hiding behind, startling you from your thoughts. It swung open and revealed Mallory, who slipped inside just as quickly as she closed the door behind her. You didn’t have time to try to hide what you were doing, and you thanked the goddesses it was just Mal who had caught you. 

At the moment, you were sat cross-legged on the floor of an empty upstairs bedroom, down a hall that wasn’t currently in use. There weren’t many girls currently living in the Academy, and Cordelia preferred to keep everyone as close to her room in the west wing as possible. Which was certainly to your advantage as Mallory stared down at you, surrounded by ancient tomes, dripping candles, a vial of strange, clear liquid, and what seemed to be a silver chalice with your blood in it. It had taken a full week to work up the nerve to finally try the spell, you couldn’t afford interruptions right now. “Should I even ask?” Mallory seemed surprised, but not overtly so; she did live in a house full of witches. 

You shrugged, trying to play it cool as you flipped to the next page in one of the books you’d ‘borrowed’ from Delia’s office that morning. “Probably not. What’s up?” You asked conversationally, watching out of the corner of your eye as Mallory wandered over to the bed and plopped down. At least momentarily, she did seem rather disinterested in whatever it was that you were doing, caught up in her own thoughts. 

“Hiding from Coco,’ she sighed. “I love her, but I can’t eat any more of her magic baking. It’s not going as well as she thinks it is.” Mal looked down at what you were doing, and finally started to recognize what it was you were up to. Her brow furrowed as she slid off the bed and onto the hardwood floor, kneeling next to you. “Are you doing a restoration spell?” She asked skeptically. You watched as Mal reached forward to pull the book you were reading closer, but your hand on hers stopped her advance as she stared at you curiously. “What?”

“It’s not a restoration spell,” you finally admitted after a beat. “Well, not technically. I’m not trying to reanimate anything, except, I guess, my dreams.” 

“Oh.” She knew now, this was no ordinary spell. When she tried to look at the page again, you pulled the book into your lap.“Is it _perque ad memoriam_? It definitely looks like it,” she stated. Mallory still seemed unphased, and mostly just curious. But that didn’t mean you should drag her along in whatever you were about to get yourself into. “You know I can just recall your memories for you, right?” She asked, and saw you grimace. Witches who didn’t have the power of concilium were never quite fond of being manipulated by the gift, even if it was initially consensual. Mallory understood. And you definitely didn’t want her to know what this memory was going to reveal. 

Guilt shot through your chest, reminding you of exactly why you were here, hiding upstairs with a stolen book, doing a very sketchy rendition of a spell you’d only ever heard stories about. _Perque ad memoriam_ was not something to mess with, or so you had heard. But because it required help, you did as much research as you could to safely combine it with a dream-inducing potion, which proved to be much easier to produce. “I’m, well, having nightmares,” you said, staring at the scuffing on a particular floorboard with too much interest. “I don’t want to worry Cordelia, or Wilhemina, but I can’t seem to hold onto what they’re about. I was hoping combining a dream potion with the _perque ad memoriam_ would help me remember the dream even when I’m awake. Restore it, y’know? Then maybe I can see what’s causing the earthquakes.” You whispered the last part and saw the look of recognition in her eyes. 

“That was you?” Mallory asked, almost too excitedly. Nothing particularly interesting happened around the house anymore, ever since she defeated the antichrist. With a new timeline in play, and Michael dead, sometimes it felt like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. It had been almost three years, and still no one knew, which she understood was for the best, but she did find herself rather bored these days. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Now, she at least sounded more worried and less excited at the prospect of breaking several rules at once. You didn’t answer, you truthfully didn’t know how. “Okay, I’ll help you,” she nodded firmly to punctuate her decision. 

You chuckled, finally turning back to the book and your work. “Thanks, Mal, but I don’t really need help. And I don’t want you to get in trouble if this goes wrong,” you added, not wanting to offend your friend. “I’m just gonna go to sleep, and hopefully wake up remembering the whole dream, that’s it.” Whether you were comforting her, or yourself, you weren’t sure, but you said it quite matter of factly which seemed to resign Mallory to defeat. 

“This is a dangerous spell that requires two people, Y/N. I don’t like the idea of you doing it alone,” Mal offered, and in those big brown eyes you lost all of your resolve. 

_Why are you such a softie?_ You chastised yourself, letting out an annoyed huff towards Mallory. “Fine.” 

With a triumphant smile, Mallory jumped to her feet, smoothing the wrinkles from her skirt. “Great. You do whatever you need to, and I’ll keep watch.” She pulled the door open a crack, and stood with her nose just-barely pressed into the space between the door and the wall.

“Cordelia and Wilhemina have class right now, and no one ever comes up here. I doubt you’ll have much to keep an eye out for.” You were back to flipping through Delia’s Book of Spells as you spoke, finally landing on the correct page. There were only a few modified lines you needed to recite, then you’d be ready to take the sleep potion. 

“I don’t know about all that. Ms. Venable and Miss Cordelia are like human bullshit detectors. I think they’ll know something is up the moment you go under.” Mal was right, and you knew it. You’d even been especially careful of concealing your thoughts from Delia all morning, and had fully avoided Mina at breakfast. But the doubt would only slow you down, and you didn’t have time to worry about what-ifs. “What do you want me to do if someone comes?” She whispered, watching as you finished the last line of the spell and downed the bottle of clear liquid. 

“Whatever you do, don’t wake me up,” you told her, serious as ever, but your eyes were already beginning to flutter closed. “The spell has to run its course, if you wake me up before it’s done I’ll...” You trailed off as your head slumped forward, followed by your whole body collapsing onto the floor rather unceremoniously. 

Mallory gasped, trying to hide her shock by slamming her palms over her mouth. “What? You’ll what?” She scream-whispered, dropping back to her knees to cradle your head where it had smacked into the floorboards. You were out like a light. Not knowing what else to do, Mallory gently moved you around until you looked more comfortable surrounded by the flickering circle of candles and heavy, old books. She picked one up and started to read, hoping to find the answer as to what would happen if she woke you too early. 

__________

_You watched as a firm hand gripped your elbow, steadying you as you leaned lazily into Dolmade’s front door once you’d teleported yourself back outside. The dream played out in front of you like a movie; the part of your subconscious that was aware you were dreaming simply fixed you into the background of the memory. Whipping your head around, eyes flashing violent and ready to attack, you saw Jax jump away from you in surprise. “Whoa there, partner, I was just tryin’ to be helpful,” he drawled, putting his hands up in mock defense. “You were lookin’ a bit wobbly.”_

_You tucked your hands in your jacket pockets. “I don’t need your help, Mr. Strife. Where’d you come from, anyway?” You asked skeptically._

_Jax reached behind himself and into his back pocket, producing a glass pint bottle of brown liquid. “Followed you from the bar,” he stated plainly, uncapping the bottle and taking a long swig before holding it out to you in an offering. When you scowled at him in response, Jax simply shrugged, took another sip, then stowed the bottle back in his pocket. “We’ve got somethin’ important to discuss.”_

_“I doubt it’s so important you can’t send it in an email, Mr. Strife,” you snapped, stalking forward and brushing past Jax, who let you shoulder him out of your way without much resistance. “I need to get home.”_

_“Right, runnin’ along back to the Supreme and your powerless, red-headed pet.” That stopped you in your tracks. You watched as the ground began to shake between both dream-you and Jax, but it was terrifyingly obvious you were in control of it from the look on the man’s face. “What the fuck!” Jax yelled as a massive crack in the sidewalk burst between his feet, forcing him into an uncoordinated iteration of the splits._

_“Who and what the hell are you?” Before he could stand up properly, you were on Jax, gripping his shirt in your fist as you forced him lower in the painful stance. When he just stared back at you in a mixture and fear and astonishment, you bellowed, “Answer me!” The ground shook violently beneath him and he saw your eyes flash a horrifying shade of blood-red._

_Jax finally found his voice, and gulped out, “I-I swear my name is Jax Strife. I’m a warlock, that’s how I know ‘bout’cha. I got-” you cut him off when you pushed him to the ground, landing him on his back awkwardly over the crack you’d made in the concrete._

_Hearing the agonized moan Jax let out brought you back to yourself, and you could see that you were actually holding him by the throat, no longer by his shirt, and had bent him backwards, inverting his knees at an unnatural angle. You let go in shock, scrambling up and away from him before you backed into Dolmade’s front door. Jax fell forward in a heap, curling his knees to his chest with a low groan. You had obviously done a number on him, and could see the fear written all over dream-you’s face. You had done that, you had caused that destruction and pain._

_Moving closer to Jax, you looked around at the sidewalk to see how bad the damage was. Dream-you was still holding onto the front door like a life preserver, so you had a moment to take the whole scene in. The crack was long and cavernous, easily ten feet deep and ran the whole of the vertical walkway towards the street. Then you heard dream-you whispering, and turned to watch as the crack began to mend itself._ So I did fix it, _you thought, stepping out of the way of the moving concrete as it pieced itself back together. Jax rolled out of the way before the ground could swallow up the part of his pant leg dangling into the hole, which caught dream-you’s attention._

_The look you pinned him with was seething, but much more controlled now that you had taken in what had happened. “Get up,” you said, stalking towards him. “I certainly didn’t mean to do that,” you were hauling him up by the shirt as he yelped in fear. Your eyes motioned to the ground then landed back on Jax’s very confused face as you said, “But I’ll do it again if you don’t start talking right fucking now.”_

Good one, _you noted to yourself, smiling as you watched what you knew was a rather drunk version of yourself obliterating any notion of authority this man might have thought he had over you. Jax put his hands up again, in sincere defense this time, obviously._

_“I swear, I swear! I’m a warlock, my name really is Jax Strife. Blame my father,” he attempted to joke, then saw the way your upper lip twitched into a snarl. “Seriously, I’m just here to talk.” You finally let go of his shirt so that he could right himself. “Let’s take a walk,” he said, and you could see he was finally being serious._

_You watched dream-you mull that over, then finally agree as long as you got to hold onto his bottle of bourbon. Following along a few steps behind, not as if dream-you or Jax could see you, you tried to find anything else out of the ordinary with the night as you listened to the conversation._

_“So why are you here?” You asked, taking a swig from the glass bottle._

_“I came to New Orleans to expand my resume,” Jax shrugged, trying to reach for the bottle, but you simply held it out of his reach. You glared at him, so he sighed, “I really am a chef, and I really did come here to do that. But I also came here to find you,” he trailed off. You handed him the bottle, and he smiled that cheesy, more-creepy-than-charming smile that made your skin crawl. Wiping a drop of bourbon from his lips with the back of his hand, he continued. “I came to deliver a message, one that I was warned would not be taken well. It’s from someone in your past, and she made it very clear you would have no memory of anything I’m about to tell you. I should have believed her,” he chuckled dryly, the drawl in his tone even sounded less practiced and fake._

_“Her? Who’s her?” You butted in, craning your neck to make eye contact with Jax as he watched a particularly nice car drive by._

_“Don’t worry, darlin’, I’ll get to it.”_

_“Don’t call me that.” That was Delia’s name, and Delia’s name only for you._

_“Alright, alright,” Jax conceded, handing back the bottle of whiskey. “This is all going to sound insane, and I know that because when she told me, I thought she was pullin’ a real elaborate prank on you.” He made a sharp right turn, slipping around the corner of a busy bar down a much more quiet street. Jax stepped off the curb and into the road, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it with a thought. “But I promise, this is no prank. What I’m about to tell you changes everything. It’s a matter of life and death, literally.”_

_“Enough foreboding! Get on with it, Jax,” dream-you barked, exasperated at this point with this infuriating man._

_Jax exhaled a large cloud of smoke, then stopped dead in his tracks to look at dream-you straight on. In the most monotoned you’d heard him yet, Jax said,“The antichrist is back, and you’re the only one who can stop him.”_

______________

Mallory flipped hastily through the third and final book on the floor next to your unconscious body. She hadn’t found anything thus far that could tell her what would happen if she woke you too early, and she was starting to get worried. The dull, rhythmic thudding of students meandering about on the first floor below her meant morning classes were over, and therefore Ms. Venable and Miss Cordelia would be looking for her soon, and for you. On weekdays when you didn’t have work, you and Mallory conducted the midday gathering so the rest of the instructors could take lunch and get work done. Mallory and you both had no interest in being teachers, but Cordelia and the Academy had done so much for you that you both knew it was the least you could do to help out. 

Now she was beginning to panic, knowing one of the younger girls would soon be sent to find you both. And with Cordelia, or Wilhemina, or both, waiting expectantly for you downstairs. These books weren’t helping at all. “I’m sorry, Y/N. I know you told me not to..” Mallory muttered, dropping the book so she could lean over you and close her eyes. She pressed her forehead into yours and concentrated, willing your mind to bend to her wants, her desires. To slip out of the dream and 

_“Her name is… “_

_“I don’t believe you!”_

_“I told you I don’t know anything more than what she told me. Y/N wait!” Jax’s hand was around your wrist, and you watched dream-you yank yourself free before stumbling into the wall behind you._

‘Y/N it’s time to come back’ Mallory thought, pressing her consciousness deeper into yours. 

_The sound of her voice echoed through the dream like a haunting tornado siren, ominous and overbearing._

_Dream-you and Jax were standing in an alley, both smoking a cigarette, but yours fell out of your mouth when you smacked your head into the brick wall._ No, _you thought,_ Not right now, she can’t bring me out right now, I’m not done! _You could feel the strain of your voice as you screamed at Mallory, but logically you knew no sound would come out. Dream-you pushed Jax out of your way, and in the blink of an eye, you disappeared. He snarled and threw his cigarette to the ground, vanishing out of sight a moment later._

“What the hell!” You screamed as you were finally ripped from the dream, feeling as though you were torn to shreds to get back to reality. 

“Y/N!” Mallory squeaked, cradling your head as you sat up suddenly from the floor. Your heart was pounding, Mal swore she could hear it thundering away in your chest. Sweat beaded at the back of your neck and she watched your shoulders heave as you gasped in what sounded like terrified breaths. Once you could take in your surroundings, she moved a few feet away from you, kneeling up and biting her lip nervously. “I’m sorry I pulled you out, but I can sense one of the girls looking for us. We have to get to midday gathering.”

Your head was swimming, and there was a bubbling feeling of nausea working its way up your throat. “It’s fine Mal, it’s okay,” you choked out, wiping a hand across your sweaty forehead. Truthfully, you had no idea if you were okay. The dream definitely wasn’t over, and what little information you had gathered left you with even more questions than answers. 

“What did you see? Did you actually see your dream?” She whispered.

 _What_ did _I see? Whatever Jax meant by the antichrist and me being some sort of savior has to be a lie. There’s no way that could be true, I’m just a regular witch._ You definitely weren’t in denial. _What am I gonna tell her?_

“It was mostly just dark, and lonely,” you sighed, attempting to stand yourself up.

Mallory helped you stand, and started picking up the candles as you gathered the rest of the supplies. As you were about to leave the room, she stopped you from opening the door. “What were you going to say, before you fell asleep?” When you looked at her quizzically, she clarified, “You said I shouldn’t wake you up, but you didn’t tell me what would happen if I did.”

There had only been one small, hard-to-translate passage about side effects of a poorly executed memory spell; if the spell did not run its course, the user would eventually lose all of their memories. Gradual, onset dementia. But, your Latin was rusty, you figured. _I’m sure that’s not what it actually means._ Mallory was still looking at you worriedly, you had to come up with something. “I was going to say I won’t be able to finish the dream, and I’ll have to do it over.” 

“Oh,” she breathed, not expecting that answer at all. Her brow furrowed, but she seemed otherwise satisfied. “Alright. Well, I’m sorry it didn’t work right. We should get downstairs, though.”

Closing the door behind you, you let Mallory lead the way to the elegant front staircase. A girl in one of Wilhemina’s writing classes, Becca, was clambering up them as you both descended. She looked out of breath as she stopped in front of you. “Hi, Becca,” you said, offering the girl a warm smile. 

“Hi, Miss Y/N, hi, Miss Mallory. Ms. Venable says you’re late for midday gathering and if you’re not down there in two minutes she’ll make me translate all my Latin homework into Greek and back again. Please don’t let her,” Becca whispered the last part. 

You couldn’t help it, it made you chuckle, which only made the girl look more worried. “She won’t do that, Becca, I promise. We’re heading there now.” Wilhemina could be so dramatic sometimes. 

Gathering went by quickly, and soon you found yourself alone in the kitchen, rummaging through cabinets. What had been manageable nausea was quickly growing unbearable, and you knew there was something lying around that could help. The initial grogginess had at least worn off, but you were still feeling fully worn out after what you had learned. Although it was barely past lunch, you were ready to go to bed. 

“Becca nearly had to learn another language because of your tardiness today, little one” Wilhemina’s voice echoed through the otherwise silent kitchen. She heard you swear under your breath, but chose to take it as catching you by surprise. 

Snatching the bottle you were looking for from the back of the shelf, you turned awkwardly so you could look at her looming in the doorway. You’d crawled onto the counter, too short to reach the back of the cabinet, and now had a grip on the lip of the shelf for balance. “One day I’m going to call you on your bluff, you know,” you stated plainly. Mina raised an eyebrow at you, expecting further explanation. Your stomach turned over, and it took all your willpower to hold back a grimace. Jumping down from the counter, you stuck your head under the faucet, to Mina’s chagrin, taking a large gulp of water and buying yourself a bit more time. You downed half the bottle of pink medicine in the same gulp, seeing the disdain written all over her face. Mina loved you, you knew, regardless of the fact that she deemed you a gremlin most of the time. Head bowed over the sink, you clutched at the lip of the counter top as you swallowed the mouthful, then tipped the bottle back again and finished it off. 

“Little gremlin,” she growled, still grimacing at you, as if she’d heard your thoughts. 

“I know you know I won’t let innocents suffer for my crimes,” you said, not needing to see her roll her eyes to know that she did. “But I think deep down you’re a big softie who would never actually punish one of your students just because I did something wrong.” The pink goo was, thankfully, already working, and you could finally stand up straight to look at her. 

Strangely, she had no immediate rebuttal. Mina was staring at the bottle in your hand, looking more perplexed than annoyed at you calling her soft. “What’s wrong?” She asked, any sign of her bantering tone gone. 

“Haven’t been feeling well today,” you said with a shrug. “That’s why I didn’t come down for breakfast,” you clarified, knowing she would put the two together just as quickly. Mina closed the distance between you, her cane cracking against the ground with more force than normal; strained and more piercing than the rhythmic tapping of her confident swagger. You gulped, leaning back into the counter as she looked you up and down. She stroked your cheek softly with the back of her fingers, checking for any sign of fever, and gave you a soft smile when you leaned into her touch. Your skin was still flushed and clammy, and you knew she would notice, but you could play it off on your upset stomach. 

“Maybe three pieces of cake after dinner was too much,” Mina said, with only a hint of admonishment. 

“Two and a half,” you muttered back at her, biting your lip innocently. She rolled her eyes at you again. “I think I’m going to go lie down, though.”

“I’ll walk you upstairs,” Mina offered. 

_That was too easy,_ you thought, trying to keep the confusion off your face as she waited for you to lead the way. When you didn’t move Mina held her hand out, palm down, obviously wanting you to take it. _She hates P.D.A._. _What’s going on?_ Your mind started to race. 

“Come along, princess, you look tired,” she tried again, even softening her tone. You were taking too long, and she was going to notice how weird you were being, so you took her hand and let her lead the way. 

Wilhemina could absolutely tell something was wrong, she just wasn’t sure what. Oh, but was she going to undoubtedly find out. She knew Cordelia was upstairs in their bedroom at the moment, getting some extra work done with her free afternoon. You _were_ going to tell them what was going on with you, and it was going to be done the Delia way, or the Mina way, but either way she was done with you hiding from them. 

When you reached their bedroom door, you gave Mina a sleepy smile and mumbled, “Thank you, Mina, I think I got it from here.” 

“I’ll see you to bed,” she stated firmly, pushing the door open herself, revealing Delia perched elegantly on the edge of her desk as she read an official-looking document. 

_Fuck._

Those adoring, and now worried, brown eyes looked right up at you as Mina opened the door. Delia didn’t like the looks on either of your faces, and her heart sank as she stood up and walked over to you both. “Darling, what’s wrong?” She asked, looking back and forth between you and Wilhemina as she cupped your cheeks, immediately noticing how cool your skin was. The redhead raised one suspicious eyebrow, but otherwise let you answer for yourself. 

“I’ve just got a stomach ache,” you huffed, trying to play it off as best you could. Cordelia’s eyes narrowed slightly, and you could see the vein in her neck starting to pulse. 

“Well, off to bed with you. I’ll make you something for it.” Her voice sounded strained, you knew she was holding something back. The blonde stepped away from the door and let you and Mina past her, who was still holding your hand. You wanted to tell her you had just taken something for it, but arguing with Delia at the moment definitely didn’t seem like the right move. Mina walked with you to her side of the mattress, pulled back the covers and sat down at the foot of the bed, pinning you with an expectant look. All you could do was stare at the sheets, making no move to climb in. 

She didn’t normally dote on you like this, it was much more Delia’s thing. You and the redhead enjoyed the banter, and the playful sides you brought out in one another; softness was usually reserved for more intimate moments. It made you almost uneasy. _They must know what happened. I’m in so much trouble._ Then two soft hands were resting on your shoulders, Delia’s thumbs gently pressing into your upper back muscles. That felt like heaven. 

“Darling,” she started, leaning her chin down to rest on your shoulder so she could sweetly nudge your cheek with hers. “Please tell us what’s really going on. You know the rules; no lies, and no secrets,” Delia whispered in your ear. She noticed the tears before you even did, and moved around to face you as you started to cry. 

“I’m sorry,” you whispered, sniffling hard as you tried to hide your face in your hands. The blonde caught your wrists before you could disappear and gently threaded her fingers between yours. “I wanted to tell you, but I was so confused, and now I think I made it worse,” you sobbed, falling into Delia’s chest. She caught you, like she always did, and with a gentle sigh sat you between herself and Wilhemina on the edge of the bed. They shared a look of anguish that would have broken your heart had you not been doubled over, hiding your face between your knees. Both women rubbed your back gently, trying to be patient as you caught your breath.

Mina whispered something to Delia you couldn’t hear, and a moment later one of them was pulling you farther back onto the bed and into her arms. “You can tell us anything, little one, you know that,” Mina sighed as she walked around to the blonde’s side of the bed, considering Delia was currently curled up with you on her side. Cordelia watched her girlfriend round the bed as she played with your hair, leaning against the headboard with your head on her chest. “In fact,” Mina stated, leaning her cane against the bedside table and carefully sliding onto the bed next to you, “I think I can go so far as to say it’s very much expected of you.” Her tone was so light, almost playful, but not quite. She didn’t want you to think she was upset with you, but she wanted, no needed, to know what was going on. 

You nodded gently, one hand grasping at the hem of Delia’s shirt like it was the only thing holding you in this dimension. The longer you went without real rest, the more it felt like you were almost drifting away from your reality. Then Mina’s lips were pressing a warm kiss into the back of your head as the three of you cuddled on the large bed. She was propped on an elbow to ease her back, with her long, plum skirt draped across half the bed. If you had your wits about you, you’d laugh at what a sight this must be. Taking a shaky breath, you finally readied yourself to tell them everything. To your benefit, Delia was at least letting you hide your face in her chest while you spoke. 

“I’ve been having some dreams, or, well, nightmares about what happened,” you managed to stutter out. You could feel Delia nod above you, and Mina ran a soothing hand down your spine, even inching closer to you so she could feel your body against hers. They were being so careful with you, it almost made you think you might break if you spoke too loud or too quickly. “There’s pieces still missing, and hard as I try, I can never stay asleep long enough to watch the whole memory play out. I know that’s what it is. My mind is trying to show me a memory of that night, but I can never quite figure out what it is. Until today…” You trailed off, a shudder running over your whole body. 

“It’s alright, baby, you can tell us,” the blonde murmured as she squeezed you reassuringly. 

“You’re gonna be mad,” you whispered after a particularly pitiful hiccup. There was no alternate reality where neither of them got upset at what you had done and subsequently hidden from them. You definitely heard Mina sigh behind you, but you weren’t sure if it was just your tired brain playing tricks, or if you could really hear the impatient grind of her teeth. She was definitely holding herself back. That was enough to get you talking again, though. 

“I tried a stupid, messed up version of the _perque ad memoriam,_ but Mallory woke me up before it was done,” you rambled out, tumbling over your words. 

Silence hung, stale and stagnant around you, as if time had stopped. Mina wasn’t entirely aware of what that meant, but she saw the way it affected Delia. Her normally glowing skin ran pale, and her line of vision was fixed dead ahead, absolutely unwavering. You knew that you had royally fucked up. The worst part was, that wasn’t even the bad news. 

“What does that mean?” Mina growled, closing her eyes as she wrapped an arm around you and pulled you away from Delia. The blonde was motionless and rigid, both hands that had been holding you lying limp at her sides. “Little one..” The redhead tried again, turning you so you had to look at her and away from your girlfriend. 

“I’m going to lose all of my memories,” you managed to choke out between sobs. 

In the two years you’d known the woman, you had never seen this specific look on her face. It was a mix of rage and abject horror, frozen in time on a face you loved so completely. Both of them were statue still, and it occurred to your fatigued brain that time had most likely stopped. So you wiggled out of Mina’s hold, watching her arm drop limply to the mattress as you kneeled in front of them at the foot of the bed. Your cheeks were bright red and stained with tears, no amount of effort you put towards wiping them away could stop them from falling.

Delia’s gaze faltered when you came back into her line of vision, and you saw her lashes flutter as she came-to. “Explain,” she ground out between gritted teeth, still not making eye contact with you. 

“I knew I couldn’t do the actual spell alone, so I took a dream-inducing potion. Then tweaked the chant so I could induce the effects of the spell on myself.” Your voice sounded hollow, far away. “And I know I fucked up, but that’s not all that happened.” Now you had Wilhemina’s attention again, too. 

Your girlfriends were staring right at you, their gazes boring into you like daggers. _Better get on with it,_ you thought. “When I was under, I got to watch what happened that night. Almost in third person. The chef we’re working with for the restaurant’s event, Jax, was there. He’s a warlock, I guess. He came here to tell me that someone from my past, a past I don’t remember, uncovered a prophecy…” Your lower lip quivered as you thought about Jax shaking your shoulders violently as he yelled at you that you were the savior of all mankind. The foretold Child of the Mountain. Fresh tears slid down your cheeks, but neither woman moved to comfort you. 

“...And the prophecy says the Child of the Mountain will finally bring peace to the earth.” 

A single tear fell down Delia’s cheek as she stared out the window behind you. But you couldn’t stop now, or you would break before you could tell them everything. 

“Jax said that I’m the Child of the Mountain, and I’m supposed to defeat the anti- Oh gods, Delia!” You screamed as you watched Cordelia’s eyes fall shut and her head go limp right before her body slumped onto the mattress next to Wilhemina. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi friends! so I've been neglecting, purposely, to tell you all that i plan on turning this into a cross over!  
> BUT, it'll be a new work when that comes time. I will finish this work up as tidily as I can, but it won't be an entirely finished product!
> 
> Thank you for sticking with me during my hiatus, I can't explain how randomly getting a comment or kudos really pushed me into writing again, and I feel so much better after getting it all out of my head. 
> 
> per usual, this was hastily and not well proofread but yah have fun!! shoot me some love if so inclined :)


	7. A Lifetime Ago

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y'ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read the notes thanx ;)
> 
> A flashback to before Cordelia and Wilhemina made your poly triune a Certified Thing TM

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY so this chapter is NOT finished. y'all just have been so cool and supportive that I couldn't help drop a little spoiler (mostly as a way to PROVE that I'm actually writing and not just responding to comments with nothing to show for it) 
> 
> I am finishing it up, i'm expecting 4-5k words which is gonna take me some more time for sure. I'll update this chapter as the rest of 7, not gonna make a whole new 8th one just cause I teased y'all
> 
> if you hate that i did this, i'm kinda sorry, hence why i warned you here and not at the end. but also ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯
> 
> UPDATE: Added more to the chapter- still isn't finished! But, we're getting there. I will delete the chapter and fully repost it when I'm done so that hopefully it notifies as a new chapter. Here we goooo

_“Wilhemina, I’m being serious,” Cordelia stated. A perfectly sculpted eyebrow rose over the frame of her sunglasses as she looked sideways at her girlfriend, who was strolling beside her leisurely._

_The redhead smirked, ignoring the disapproving gaze she was receiving in favor of taking in her surroundings as they walked the last few blocks to your apartment. “I know you are, sweetheart, as am I,” Wilhemina finally offered. The clack of her cane matched Delia’s pace perfectly, a cadence in their strides that had come naturally to both women early on in their relationship. “I’ll be perfectly cordial with her,” she followed up with._

_“Why don’t I believe you?” Cordelia stopped dead in her tracks, letting the redhead walk a few steps ahead of her as she stood rooted to the spot with her arms crossed over her chest. When Wilhemina turned around, looking rather unimpressed with Delia’s attitude, the blonde finally smiled. “You intimidate her, and not in the fun way,” she remarked, letting herself look her girlfriend over blatantly from behind her tinted shades. “At least, not yet,” Cordelia teased, closing the distance between her and Wilhemina._

_With nothing to say to that, Wilhemina simply fell back into step with her, choosing to refocus on the residential street they were walking down until they got to your apartment door._

_You were nervously shuffling around your kitchen as you waited for the two women, who had recently been taking up all of your brain power, to arrive. Cordelia was rarely punctual outside of school hours, despite how you knew it irked Wilhemina. They arrived fashionably late to most occasions; and their first visit to your place was no different. The clock ticked loudly, too loudly, in your ears as the seconds passed._ Maybe they aren’t coming, maybe Wilhemina has gotten bored with me.. _You sighed to yourself, then paced into the living room to adjust your furniture for the upteenth time. Your couch was old and wasn’t what most people would call comfortable, and you wanted Wilhemina to have something more substantial to sit on. So, you’d moved your loveseat from your bedroom into the cramped space, hardly leaving room for your coffee table. Thankfully, you planned to serve dinner at the kitchen island. And if they didn’t hate your cooking and actually wanted to stay longer, you could worry about the lack of legroom later._

_Thoughts of Delia letting you sit on her lap while Wilhemina lounged on your loveseat made you blush, coming to a standstill in the middle of your apartment as you thought about how smitten you were with both women. A knock at the door broke you from your revelry, and with one last glance at your home and your outfit, you were swinging it open._

I must be dreaming, _you thought as you looked over Wilhemina first, then Cordelia. The redhead was dressed decadently, blatantly ignoring your mention of a ‘casual dinner’, with a chic, orchid cape draped over her shoulders. She looked royal, from the halter neckline of her plum dress to her matching stilettos. Though certainly not dressed down, Cordelia looked much less formal in her loose, flowing black slacks with a simple white silk blouse tucked in. The necklace you had gotten her for her birthday some years ago hung around her delicate neck, and it made you smile brightly when you met her eyes after checking them both out._

 _“Hi,” you murmured, unsure of what else to say. Starstruck didn’t even begin to cover it. They were here, standing at the threshold to your apartment, looking like_ that _._

_Delia stepped forward, placing both hands on your shoulders as she glanced over you quickly. “Thank you for inviting us over, darling,” she purred, leaning in to kiss your cheek before her head popped up excitedly. “Smells delicious, I’m famished,” Cordelia said before brushing past you and letting herself into your apartment. She had only been to your place a handful of times over the years, but she certainly didn’t feel awkward making herself comfortable._

_That made Wilhemina chuckle, and your eyes were instantly on the stoic woman still idling in front of you. If you didn’t know any better, you could have said she looked almost nervous. You were about to stumble out another barely-audible greeting when the redhead suddenly cupped your cheek in her soft hand. It took you off guard, Wilhemina was rarely affectionate with you, and never where anyone else besides you or Delia could see her do it. She must have noticed how tense the gesture made you, because you watched practically in slow motion as her tongue unconsciously wetted her lips, like it did whenever you did something that turned her on. As quickly as it had come, though, she was pulling her hand back and settling it on top of her cane again._

_“Hello, Y/N,” Wilhemina said, settling a smirk on her lips as you just stared back at her._

_Not knowing what to say, you simply smiled and took a step back to let the older woman into your home. As Wilhemina moved past you, the intoxicating scent of her perfume accosted your senses, wrapping your already buzzing head up in aromas of black tea and lilac. Shaking yourself from your spiraling thoughts, you closed the door behind her and followed Wilhemina around the corner to your kitchen where you knew Cordelia was making herself at home._

_“Darling, what are you cooking?” Cordelia questioned the moment you came into her line of sight. She was perched elegantly on the edge of one of your kitchen stools, having already found herself a wine glass and the white you planned on serving with dinner. A red was chilling in the fridge as well; you knew by now that despite their many similarities, these two women were polar opposites when it came to drink preferences. Wilhemina only drank red._

_Trying not to roll your eyes at the blonde, you moved behind her to the cabinet where the other glasses were. “Pumpkin ravioli,” you told her, setting a glass down with a tall, wide goblet for Wilhemina’s red, and a slimmer one for your wine. “And ratatouille to start,” you followed up with, trying to catch Wilhemina’s eye, knowing eggplant was her favorite vegetable. The redhead turned her head slightly at the mention of ratatouille, glancing at you over her shoulder as you poured her wine first, then yours._

_She had been scrutinizing one of the many photos hung on your wall, what appeared to be you and a dozen other girls at the academy lined up on the front steps. Cordelia, not-yet-risen to Supreme at the time, was standing at the top step, smiling warmly down at the group. Wilhemina could see you grinning wickedly up at her while the rest of the girls smiled politely at the camera; obviously you knew you were ruining the photo. What really caught Wilhemina’s attention though, was how unchanged you seemed from when that picture had been taken. She assumed it was taken your last year at school, when you were about eighteen, but even now in your mid-twenties you looked exactly the same. “How peculiar,” Wilhemina whispered, mostly to herself. Then you were in her space, standing at her side and looking at the same photo, holding up the cabernet you had picked out just for the redhead._

_“What is?” You questioned, dropping your hand dejectedly when Wilhemina took the wine without so much as glancing at you; she was still staring at the picture, her dark pupils dilating as she shifted her gaze between you and Cordelia._

_As she studied the impish look you were throwing Delia, a look she had seen countless times by now, there wasn’t the slightest hint that you had aged even a single day. An auburn eyebrow furrowed slightly in contemplation as she looked harder. If anything, what had at first appeared to be the soft, round features of a teen clearly became the sharp, handsome jawline she had kissed bruises into well past the witching hour on many-a-night._

_“Hmm?” Wilhemina hummed, finally looking down at you. “Oh, I was just wondering why I ever thought there was a time in your life where you weren’t causing trouble,” she told you with a smirk, and was glad to see you blush and retreat back to the safety of Delia’s company without any further questions. Wilhemina watched her girlfriend reach a hand out towards you, beckoning you to her for a soft kiss to your cheek. She wouldn’t admit it aloud, but she enjoyed watching you and Cordelia interact; always endearing, gentle gestures, for now._

_Once dinner was done cooking, Cordelia insisted on helping you plate and serve it. “I’ve seen the way Andre focuses so intently when he’s garnishing a dish,” she explained to you as she carefully drizzled the olive oil you had given her over the ratatouille cooling on the stove. You knew she enjoyed the process, not using magic, of working with one’s hands and because food was important to you, it was important to her. “Obviously, it’s an important step,” the blonde said, quite seriously, and it made you giggle._

_“I think Andre has to focus that hard in general,” you mumbled, scooting around the blonde to the sink to wash up. Then, with food finally in front of your guests, you let yourself sit down as well._

_Wilhemina was regarding her ratatouille skeptically, and when Cordelia caught the hopeful, eager look on your face as you watched them both, she gently squeezed her girlfriend’s thigh to get her attention. “This looks incredible, Y/N,” Delia told you, gracing you with that signature smile that could melt you in moments. “Doesn’t it, darling?” She prompted Wilhemina again, hoping to get the redhead to at least attempt a compliment._

_The clinking of her plate and a gentle hum was Wilhemina’s only response as she gathered a forkful of the roasted vegetables. That made your stomach sink, and you tried not to notice the way Delia clenched her jaw, preferring to stare at your own plate. To your benefit, it did smell delicious, and after working at Dolmade for a year you had learned a thing or two in the kitchen._

_“Wonderful.”_

_Your head shot up, eyes wide as you looked between the two women sitting across from you at the island. For a moment, you weren’t sure who had said it. But you knew the drawl behind Wilhemina’s tone better than you knew the sound of your own voice. She had said it._

_“Really?” You asked, trying not to sound as astonished as you were._

_Delia let out a sigh, then started in on her own food now that the tension had been lifted. That made Wilhemina chuckle, looking right into your eyes as she said, “Yes, really. Quite authentic, little one.”_

_A rosy-pink blush painted your cheeks at her compliment. “Thank you, Wilhelmina,” you said, biting your lower lip to keep from smiling too much. You definitely saw the way the corners of her mouth twitched when you did it. The heat of her gaze was too much though, and moments later you were looking down at your plate again as you stabbed a ravioli. “So, Delia,” you started, still unable to make proper eye contact, “Are my raviolis better than Andres?”_

_The amused look on the blonde’s face gave you your answer. She loved Andre’s cooking, but especially his pumpkin ravioli, and you weren’t quite as experienced a cook as your chef de cuisine was. “They’re very good, honey,” Cordelia finally said, before taking a sip of her wine._

_Dinner continued smoothly, and to your astonishment, Wilhemina served herself a second portion of ratatouille. If you weren’t trying to get the woman to like you, you would have teased her about it. But, now that the plates were washed and the redhead was sitting in your love seat while Cordelia wandered around your house watering your neglected plants, you didn’t quite know what to do with yourself._

_Wilhemina had been regarding another picture, of you and Mallory, sitting on your coffee table when she caught you out of the corner of her eye idling at the kitchen island, fidgeting over the rim of your wine glass absentmindedly. “Come here, little one,” she purred, patting the round arm of her chair. In an instant you were at her side, gingerly perched next to her with your glass balanced on your thigh. “Thank you for dinner,” Wilhemina said, draping a hand over your knee, giving it a gentle squeeze._

_“You’re welcome, I’m just glad you liked it,” you told her with a bashful smile. Then, in a moment of boldness, you slid your hand down your own thigh, and laced your fingers between hers. “Do you want another glass of wine?” You asked, and noticed how scratchy your throat felt._

_She must have heard it, too, because Wilhemina smiled up at you as she said, “Something a little stronger, perhaps.”_

_“I can do that.”_

_Before you could even get up, Cordelia was next to you, holding out two glasses of what looked like whiskey balanced in one hand, like you’d shown her. “The both of you are rather predictable,” she stated, then took a seat on the couch across from you._

_“I would’ve gotten them, Delia,” you told her, hiding behind the rim of your glass as you smelled what you could tell was the spicy aroma of bourbon._

_With a shrug, Delia crossed her legs and leaned back into the cushions, getting comfortable. “No need, I like you right there,” she said, then took a sip of her wine. The look in her eyes was anything but relaxed, though. A fire was burning behind her rich, cocoa irises that made your skin tingle and your chest tighten excitedly. She was taking in the sight of Wilhemina being so comfortably close to you, even holding your hand; possessively, but affectionate nonetheless._

_Talkative as you could be at times, there was something about being the current center of their attention that shut you right up. It was too much to handle, the way Wilhemina’s nails teased over your knee and the devilish way Cordelia was staring at the two of you. As you tipped your glass back, closing your eyes at the cool, biting sensation of liquor across your lips, something else bit at the soft skin under your ear. It made you whimper, then gasp into your glass, sloshing whiskey around. Wilhemina laughed, a low growl right in your ear as she nipped at your skin again, lower on your neck this time. She had leaned up and taken the opportunity you had created by exposing your neck to nibble her way down the column of your throat. Melting into her touch, and the warmth the whiskey so easily wrapped you up in, you almost toppled off the arm of the loveseat when the redhead whispered, “Get on your knees.”_

_“Yes, Miss Venable,” you murmured, unable to look up from the ground, knowing you were already starting to blush from their attention. In a second, you were on your knees, whiskey glass forgotten on the coffee table as both women watched you hungrily, devouring your every move._

_Cordelia re-crossed her legs and leaned forward, resting her elbows against the top of her thighs. Leisurely, sure, but with every creeping second the dominant side of her, the one Wilhemina loved to employ with you, began to surface. The blonde could be so gentle with you, adoring and outwardly sweet, and they both knew it drove you crazy when Delia flipped the switch. Deliciously mean, mocking your wantonness, while Wilhemina tormented and teased your body and mind; being with them was better than any fantasy you could have conjured up._

_“You have been rather good the last few weeks, pet,” Wilhemina told you, reaching forward to cup your chin in the palm of her hand. “Hardly an ounce of that bratty attitude we all know you’re capable of. Refreshing,” she complimented, enjoying the way you smiled bashfully and averted your eyes again. Yeah, so you could be a bit mouthy at times, but you knew the Supreme and her formidable girlfriend enjoyed being able to spank it out of you._

_“Thank you, Miss Venable.”_

_The redhead’s nostrils flared as she looked down at you, her features set sternly; but you could see the playfulness sparkling in her eyes. Wilhemina’s grip on your chin tightened, making you shift uncomfortably from the weight of one knee to the other as she scrutinized you. “Delia, do you think she deserves her reward?” She asked, gaze never wavering from the way she was staring you down._

_That made the blonde chuckle, and if you could have turned your head to look at her in confusion, you would have, but Wilhemina’s hand had your attention occupied. “Is it her reward, or yours, darling?” Cordelia asked, but it wasn’t much of a question. Obviously, Wilhemina loved tormenting you as much as you enjoyed receiving the delicious attention. There were times Delia thought you might favor Wilhemina, for the way she understood your wants and desires so perfectly, but deep down she knew you adored them equally- just, for different reasons…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELP
> 
> do i even need to really say aloud that this chapter is gonna be sexy times? prob not but there ya go.


End file.
